Cry aloud, spare not, Lift up they voice like a horn, And declare to My people their transgression, And to the house of Jacob their sins.
verse value 4074
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "and·declare" (וְהַגֵּ֤ד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "call!" (קְרָ֤א, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·withhold" (אַל־תַּחְשֹׂ֔ךְ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·throat" (בְגָרוֹן֙), "do·not·withhold" (אַל־תַּחְשֹׂ֔ךְ), "as·the·horn" (כַּשּׁוֹפָ֖ר). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "do·not·withhold" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "to·my·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "call!" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·voice', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: קְרָ֤א [call!] (301) + בְגָרוֹן֙ [in·throat] (261) + אַל־תַּחְשֹׂ֔ךְ [do·not·withhold] (759) + כַּשּׁוֹפָ֖ר [as·the·horn] (606) + הָרֵ֣ם [lift·up] (245) + קוֹלֶ֑ךָ [your·voice] (156) + וְהַגֵּ֤ד [and·declare] (18) + לְעַמִּי֙ [to·my·people] (150) + פִּשְׁעָ֔ם [their·transgression] (490) + וּלְבֵ֥ית [and·to·house·of] (448) + יַעֲקֹ֖ב [Jacob] (182) + חַטֹּאתָֽם [their·sins] (458) = 4074.
Rashi
"And tell My people their transgression." These are the Sages of Torah, whose every unintentional error is considered a transgression, for the unintentional error of one who studies Torah is regarded as intentional.
"And for the house of Jacob is their sin" – these are the *am ha'aretz* (common people), whose intentional transgressions are regarded as unintentional errors.
Ibn Ezra
"Cry out." The word of the Lord to His prophet: cry out with the throat — do not withhold the proclamation, for "withhold" (חשך) is a transitive verb.
Like a shofar. That all should hear:
Radak
“Cry out with your throat.” God said to the prophet: “Cry out with your voice to the people of your generation, who appeared righteous but were wicked, and rebuke them for their deeds. Raise your voice against them like a shofar, whose sound is heard from afar.” And the crying out is from the throat; even though speech is formed in the mouth, the voice emanates from the throat. Similarly, it is said: “The praise of God is in their throat” (Psalms 149:6), and: “My throat is hoarse from my calling” (Psalms 69:4).
Do not withhold. Rather, always call them:
"to My people." That they are called "My people." And the matter is repeated in different words:
Metzudat David
“Cry out with your throat.” This is the statement of the Lord to the prophet: “Cry out with your throat,” meaning: cry out with the utmost loudness, until the voice emerges from the throat, like the cry of one who shouts, in order to be heard from afar.
"Do not withhold." Do not refrain from the calling, like a shofar; like the raising of the voice of the shofar.
"And tell My people their transgression." Say to them in what they are transgressing, and reprove them for it.
And to the house, etc. The repetition of the matter is stated in the words:
Metzudat Zion
In the throat. In the neck:
"‘Do not withhold.’ ‘Do not withhold,’ similar to [the verse] ‘you did not withhold’ (Genesis 22:12):"
"Raise it." From the language of lifting up.
Malbim
The verse states: “Call out to Him.” 1. That he should call out with his throat in a loud voice. 2. Do not withhold yourself from calling out, so that this calling out will be continuous. 3. Like a shofar, for the sound grows stronger and stronger continually; so too, raise your voice. (Moreover, the shofar is not merely the exhalation of the sound of the one blowing it; so too, the prophet is one in whom the Lord speaks. Furthermore, the shofar emits a sound of breaking, arousing awe, and reminding one of repentance.) And declare to My people their transgression—these are the rebels who rebelled, inasmuch as they are “My people,” referring to sins between man and God; and to the House of Jacob their sin—these are the sinners who sinned, inasmuch as they are “the House of Jacob,” referring to sins between man and his fellow.
Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways; As a nation that did righteousness, And forsook not the ordinance of their God, They ask of Me righteous ordinances, They delight to draw near to God.
verse value 5846
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 90 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "judgments·of·righteousness" (מִשְׁפְּטֵי־צֶ֔דֶק, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 244: they·will·delight·in, they·will·delight·in. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·will·resort·to" (יִדְרֹשׁ֔וּן), "as·nation" (כְּג֞וֹי), "that·righteousness" (אֲשֶׁר־צְדָקָ֣ה). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "that·righteousness" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·delight·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Rashi
"And they shall seek Me daily." This is akin to what is stated: "They flattered Him with their mouth" (Psalms 78:36).
And they shall seek knowledge of My ways. They desire to ask the Sages for halakhic rulings, as if they wish to fulfill them.
“Like a nation that has done righteousness, etc.” Thus they always ask me for a just decree, yet they have no intention of fulfilling it. And when they fast and are not answered, they say, “Why did we fast and You did not see?” And I say to them: “Indeed, on the day of your fast you find your pleasure; all your desires for your needs you strive to obtain, even through robbery and violence.”
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall seek Me day by day." [They shall seek Me] with the mouth (and with the mind):
"And they shall seek knowledge of My ways." Through the speech with which they will ask Me judgments of righteousness, and they desire to be close to Me.
Radak
"And Me." [The Sages] expound: [This refers to those who] seek and desire [to know the Torah] with their mouths, but not with their heart, and not with deeds. For one who performs righteousness and justice, it is fitting for him to expound and inquire how he should act; but as for one who does not act, why should he expound? Behold, in his expounding, his iniquity is doubled.
Metzudat David
"And as for Me, on the day..." – This means that they present themselves as righteous, for every day they will seek Me to pray to Me.
And knowledge. They desire to know the ways of My Torah:
“Like a nation, etc.” This means that it is as if a gentile were performing acts of charity at all times and had not abandoned the judgment of his God, whose way it is to inquire in order to know the law; so too, they ask Me regarding My judgments of righteousness and desire to draw near to God to know His commandments. That is to say, they present themselves as if they were scrupulous regarding the commandments, but this is not the case.
Malbim
"And as for Me" — this is the meaning of what He commanded him to raise and to persist in his reading, because they do not recognize their sin at all. Regarding the commandments between man and God, they seek Me day by day, thinking that they fulfill their obligation by seeking Me and investigating these commandments, even though they do not perform them. And regarding the commandments between man and his fellow, whose root is "and you shall walk in His ways," that he should walk in the ways of the Lord and His attributes, to be merciful and gracious, bestowing kindness like Him — behold, they desire to know My ways; it suffices them that they desire to know these ways, even though they do not tread in them.
Like a nation that has performed righteousness — which refers to the commandments between man and God — and has not abandoned the judgment of his God — which refers to the commandments between man and his fellow. So too, they ask Me for judgments of righteousness, between man and his fellow, and they desire the nearness of God, between man and God, as if they had performed righteousness and judgment, and had not transgressed them at all. (That is to say, for "judgment" is what one does according to general law, and "righteousness" is what one does beyond the letter of the law. One who performs judgment and does not betray the law itself may subsequently inquire and ask about the judgment of righteousness, which is how to act beyond the letter of the law. But one who has abandoned judgment itself — who steals and robs and the like — how can he inquire about righteousness?)
And they are like a nation that has not abandoned the judgment of his God, [therefore] they ask Me for judgments of righteousness. And likewise, righteousness is the fulfillment of the commandments between man and God, such as tzitzit, tefillin, and the like. And the nearness of God is a higher level, desiring to be like the righteous who are close to God always through their holiness and separation. Now, one who has performed righteousness, meaning he has fulfilled all the commandments between man and God that he is obligated in, may desire this level, which is the nearness of God. But one who has not performed righteousness, which are the obligatory commandments, how can he seek separation, piety, and holiness, which is the nearness of God? And they are like a nation that has performed righteousness, [therefore] they desire the nearness of God.
’Wherefore have we fasted, and You see not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and You take no knowledge?’— Behold, in the day of your fast you pursue your business, And exact all your labours.
verse value 4157
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·your·labours" (וְכׇל־עַצְּבֵיכֶ֖ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 186: we·abstained·from·food, we·afflicted. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "we·abstained·from·food" (צַּ֙מְנוּ֙), "we·afflicted" (עִנִּ֥ינוּ), "our·soul" (נַפְשֵׁ֖נוּ). The root צום appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "in·day·of" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root צום ("we·abstained·from·food") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·know', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: לָ֤מָּה [why] (75) + צַּ֙מְנוּ֙ [we·abstained·from·food] (186) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + רָאִ֔יתָ [you·saw] (611) + עִנִּ֥ינוּ [we·afflicted] (186) + נַפְשֵׁ֖נוּ [our·soul] (486) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + תֵדָ֑ע [you·know] (474) + הֵ֣ן [they] (55) + בְּי֤וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + צֹֽמְכֶם֙ [your·fasting] (190) + תִּמְצְאוּ־חֵ֔פֶץ [you·find·business] (715) + וְכׇל־עַצְּבֵיכֶ֖ם [and·all·your·labours] (288) + תִּנְגֹּֽשׂוּ [you·will·press] (759) = 4157.
Rashi
"And all those pained by you (atzveikhem)" – your debtors, who are grieved on your account; you press them on your fast day.
Ibn Ezra
For what purpose? They fast and say, “For Your sake, for what purpose did we fast, and You did not see?”—as if You do not see and do not know. The meaning is: “You will not save us.” And the answer is: “Yet on your fast day you find each man his own desire,” namely, one who has a dispute with another person.
"And all your toils." [This refers to] wealth, as it is said, "And your wealth in the house of a stranger" (Proverbs 5:10). And it is close to the root of "toil" (Genesis 3:17), like "the labor of your hands" (Psalms 128:2).
“Tingu.” Behold, the nun is like the nun in “to drive away” (as in “driving away smoke,” ibid. 68:3), and the word ba’al is defective, as if it said “ba’al ‘atzavot” (a husband of cords/ropes); and similar to this is “a woman who fears the Lord” (Proverbs 31:30), and many such cases.
Radak
"Why did we fast?" And they say to Me, "Why did we fast, and You did not see our fast? Why did we afflict ourselves, and You did not accept our prayers?"
"And you shall not know." This is as if it says "you shall not know," meaning: You do not pay attention to us, and our enemies rule over us.
"And your fasting." And we have not seen that we were humbled. And the answer is: "On the day of your fasting," and how can I regard your fasting, if it is nothing but for strife? For on the day of the fast, the people gather, and a person sees his debtor and demands from him his thing, meaning his debt, for he finds him on the day of the fast. And if he does not pay, he will strike him and press him until he pays, and he will also strike him with a wicked fist if he answers him not according to his desire. Behold, your fasting is not for God, but only for your own needs.
"Your laborers" – Your wealth. Just as it is written, "And your wealth shall be in a foreign house" (Isaiah 3:6), for wealth brings a person both joy and sorrow. The dagesh in the ayin of "atzbeichem" (your idols) is for the beauty of the cantillation, like the dagesh in the qof of "mikdash" (sanctuary), and similar cases.
"Tangshu" (You exact payment / oppress). From [the verse] "Lo yigos et re'ehu" (He shall not approach his fellow), which is spelled with a cholam, and it is astonishing that Jonathan translated it as "u-khol taklatkhon mikarvin" (and all your stumbling blocks draw near), translating it as if it were spelled with a shin, like "Vayigos elav Yehudah" (And Judah approached him), whose translation is "Vakrib lutei Yehudah" (And Judah drew near to him).
Metzudat David
"To what purpose have we fasted?" This means: When they fast and are not answered, they complain against Me and say, "Why has this come upon us, that we have fasted?" as if You did not see fit to heed the matter and remove from us the dominion of the nations.
"We have afflicted [our souls]," etc. The duplication of the matter in what is stated:
"Behold, on the day of your fast." This means that the response is "on the day of your fast," etc., namely, each one of you should seek and find the thing he desires and craves, and engage in it to alleviate from himself the pain of the fast, and not pay attention to return to God.
"And all your sorrows" – Every sorrow of fasting, you shall press to remove it completely and utterly through things that bring joy.
Metzudat Zion
"We fasted." The matter of fasting:
We afflicted [our souls]: from the language of the affliction of fasting:
"Your laborers." From the language of "you shall be pressed" (lit. "you shall be in distress"), meaning you shall be squeezed and crowded, like "the people pressed in" (above 3:5).
Malbim
For what reason? And they still come to argue, asking why the Lord does not answer their prayer. They say, “Why have we fasted, and You do not see?” (The fast is the assembly in which the congregation gathers to examine both the general and the particular, to correct every distortion and remove every stumbling block. Whoever knew of a specific sin would inform the others at that time, and they would strive to rectify it. The self-affliction is what they afflicted their souls on that day through abstaining from food and drink, in order to rectify the past. The fast was a rectification so that they would not sin in the future, and the self-affliction was a rectification of the sin of the past. Therefore, regarding the fast He says “see,” and regarding the self-affliction He says “know,” because the former is visible to the eyes and the latter is known to the heart.) The Lord answers them: “Behold, on your fast day you find your own pleasure.” This means that the fast and the self-affliction performed on it must be done with truth and with a whole heart. One must utterly loathe on that day all his carnal matters, without desiring them at all. But not so are you. Are you not pursuing your own desires even on the day of your fast? Your heart desires on that day all the cravings it desired yesterday. And all your anxieties you press upon— the sorrow you feel on that day because you are abstaining from worldly pleasures and delights— you press them down with force, pressure, and compulsion, not with good will and a willing soul. And the fast is like a heavy burden upon you, as you look forward to the time when it passes so that you may return to your pleasures.
Behold, you fast for strife and contention, And to smite with the fist of wickedness; You fast not this day So as to make your voice to be heard on high.
verse value 3891
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·you·fast" (לֹא־תָצ֣וּמוּ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "unleavened·bread" (וּמַצָּה֙), "you·will·abstain·from·food" (תָּצ֔וּמוּ), "and·to·strike" (וּלְהַכּ֖וֹת). The root צום appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "to·sound" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wickedness', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: הֵ֣ן [they] (55) + לְרִ֤יב [for·strife] (242) + וּמַצָּה֙ [unleavened·bread] (141) + תָּצ֔וּמוּ [you·will·abstain·from·food] (542) + וּלְהַכּ֖וֹת [and·to·strike] (467) + בְּאֶגְרֹ֣ף [with·fist·of] (286) + רֶ֑שַׁע [wickedness] (570) + לֹא־תָצ֣וּמוּ [not·you·fast] (573) + כַיּ֔וֹם [as·the·day] (76) + לְהַשְׁמִ֥יעַ [to·sound] (455) + בַּמָּר֖וֹם [in·the·high] (288) + קוֹלְכֶֽם [your·voice] (196) = 3891.
Rashi
"You shall not fast as on this day." According to the manner of the day, to break your heart, so that your voice may be heard on high.
Ibn Ezra
“With a clenched fist of the wicked.” This refers to a hard object with which he struck him. And our Sages of blessed memory, the ancients, speak of “those with clenched fists” (Pesachim 53a). And similarly, “with a stone or with a fist” (Exodus 21:18). And some say it refers to a hard clod of earth, as in “their clods” (Joel 1:17).
"You shall not fast as [you do] today." Its meaning: as this day.
Radak
"Behold, for strife." Here, it is not your fasting that I desire, but rather for strife and contention; and how then could I desire it?
“With a fist.” It is known from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, as they stated: “Those who have fists, and others.”
“Like this day.” Just as “like this day,” and the kaf is the true kaf, as in “the kaf of “Swear to me as this day” (Genesis 25:33),” and similar cases, in order to make heard on high that you are crying out in your prayer as if you were pouring out your souls before Me, and it is nothing but a way of deception, as if I do not know your heart.
Metzudat David
“Behold, for strife, etc.”: Indeed, the fast is a cause for you to sin by quarreling and fighting with one another and striking with fists, because the custom is to gather together on days of fasting, and a person comes into contact with his enemy and quarrels with him, leading to blows.
"In a wicked fist." For when one strikes it, it is called a wicked fist.
"You shall not fast as on this day." You do not fast in the manner prescribed for a day of fasting, to pray before Him and to make your voice heard in the heavens.
Metzudat Zion
And "matzah." The meaning of "matzah" (contention) is like that of "And pride brings forth strife" (Proverbs 13:10).
“With a fist.” So too, a hand curled with its fingers is called a “fist,” as it is stated: “or with a stone, or with a fist” (Exodus 21:18).
“On high.” In the lofty heavens.
Malbim
“Is it such a fast that I desire, a day for a man to afflict his soul?” — The assembly that you gather for the sake of the Lord is upon you as a burden and a yoke. But if you fast and assemble for strife and for quarreling, or at the time that you assemble to strike the wicked with a fist, this fast and this assembly you shall perform with a whole heart and a willing soul. And the measure of the verse, “Do not fast as on the day to make your voice heard on high,” [is explained as follows]: The fast that you fast to make your voice heard on high, in prayer to the Lord, this assembly is not comparable to the assembly for which you fast for strife and for quarreling, for the assembly in which you fast and join together for strife and for quarreling is done with the desire of the heart, whereas the fast to make your voice heard on high is upon you as a burden.
Is such the fast that I have chosen? The day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, And to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to Hashem?
verse value 4465
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "fast" (צ֣וֹם, 3 letters) and the longest is "you·call·fast" (תִּקְרָא־צ֔וֹם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 56: day, to·Hashem. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "like·this" (הֲכָזֶ֗ה), "singing" (עַנּ֥וֹת), "to·bend·down" (הֲלָכֹ֨ף). The root זה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 11 words.
Rashi
"Is it to bow the head." This "heh" is a particle of wonder, meaning: perhaps I need to bend [myself] like the head of an agmon. An agmon is a type of bent needle used for catching fish, and it is called "eye" in the vernacular.
"Is this to be called a fast." The language is one of wonder; therefore, the letter he is vocalized with a chataf patach.
Ibn Ezra
Such is the case. The day of a person’s affliction of his soul is double, for it is the fast.
Halkof. From the doubled forms, in the measure of leqav, "O my enemies" (Numbers 23:11):
“Like a young shoot.” A tender plant whose head is bent downward, and it is well-known.
Yatziya. The dagesh in the letter tsadi indicates the omission of the yod from the root, as in the word “atzarekha” (Jeremiah 1:5); the full form would be yitziya; and the meaning is “he will place a bed,” as in “and sackcloth and ashes he will spread” (Esther 4:3).
Radak
Like this: The acceptable fast is not merely abstaining from food and drink and bowing the head, like the agamon (which is the goma, a plant that bends its head); nor is it the laying on of sackcloth and ashes, for these actions are not chosen and accepted before Him unless accompanied by a broken heart, good deeds, and repentance from evil ways.
Metzudat David
“Like this.” And is it fitting that in this matter there should be a fast which I have chosen? And he proceeds to explain that it is a day on which a person afflicts his soul with fasting.
"Halkof." Is it that when a person bends his head downward in humility, like a reed plant, and places a sack and ashes beneath him, that this is called an accepted fast and a day of favor before the Lord?
Metzudat Zion
"To bend down." From the language of bending and humbling:
“Ke’agmon.” It is the reverse of “gama,” and it is the name of a soft plant; so too “branch and rush (kippah ve-agmon)” (above, 9).
And a sackcloth: a thick woven cloth.
Yatziya. From the term mitza, meaning a bed or couch for lying down:
Malbim
"This kind of person," he adds, "even if you were to truly afflict your souls with him, is this the fast chosen by the Lord, that a person afflicts his soul? Is this kind of self-affliction what the Lord seeks? Or even if one bows his head like a reed and spreads sackcloth and ashes, shall this be called a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord, as if this were the very essence of fasting, and that the Lord would desire this self-affliction, the sackcloth, and the ashes? Are not these external actions intended only to awaken the hearts? They are but husks to the inner core, which are the intentions—these being the spirits and souls of these actions; without them, they are but lifeless corpses."
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the fetters of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
verse value 5545
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֶה֮, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·every·yoke" (וְכׇל־מוֹטָ֖ה, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "fetters" (חַרְצֻבּ֣וֹת), "loosen" (הַתֵּ֖ר), "bands·of" (אֲגֻדּ֣וֹת). The root מוטה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "is not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "this" (root זה, 47x in Isaiah); "and·weapon" (root שלח, 35x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מוטה ("pole") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'pole', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
Charutzbot. A term denoting binding and fastening:
"Motah" – the inclination of a judgment:
"And every yoke you shall remove." The Targum: "And every perverse judgment you shall remove."
Ibn Ezra
"Hela." It is written with a patach, as in "hatar."
“Chartzuvot.” Like bonds, and similarly, “for there are no bonds in their death” (Psalms 73:4).
Motah. Like “your bed” (Leviticus 26:13), and the meaning is to hasten the manumission of the slaves, as it is written in the Book of Jeremiah [34]:
(The oppressed are judged.) Crushed. (Like crushed) are the oppressed slaves, like "crushed is justice" (Hosea 5:11), like "and whom have I crushed?" (1 Samuel 12:3). And there are those who say that "the bonds of the wicked" refer to thoughts, and the first explanation is correct in my eyes.
Radak
Is this not so? "The fetters of the wicked" means "the bonds of the wicked." Similarly, "for there are no fetters for their death" [indicates that] when the deeds of the wicked become strong, they resemble a strong knot that a person cannot open or untie except with great difficulty. And the matter is repeated in different words.
And he said: The explanation of the aggadah is "a yoke." For "a yoke" is like "a wicked man," who "distress" the poor, from the root "to lay upon" evil; or perhaps "the yoke" is a noun denoting the burden, as in "And Hananiah took the yoke" (Jeremiah 28:2), for he oppressed the poor and pressed upon them, as if placing a burden and a yoke upon their necks. And Jonathan rendered it: "loosen the knots of the writs of perverted judgment."
“And he shall send out the crushed ones free.” These are slaves who are crushed and broken by the hand of their masters, transgressing the prohibition of “You shall not rule over him with severity,” and they are not released at the end of seven years, as the prophet Jeremiah also reproved his generation for this very matter:
“Motah.” We have explained it:
Metzudat David
Is this not so? Indeed, this is the matter of the fast that I have chosen, that on that day He shall loose the bonds of wickedness; that is to say, to nullify the bond so that it shall not be done.
“Loose the bonds of the yoke.” Loose the knots of the bundles of the yoke-wood prepared to be placed upon the necks of the poor (for the approach of the poor and their distress is akin to having a yoke placed upon their necks):
"And you shall send out the crushed ones free." The slaves who were crushed and oppressed under your hand—send them away to their own souls in the seventh year, and they shall be free.
"And every yoke." All the trees of the yoke that you have placed upon their necks, you shall detach from them. That is to say: you shall not add to perform any labor with them.
Metzudat Zion
"Pitach." The matter of the annulment:
“Bands.” The matter of binding and tying; and similarly, “There are no bands in their death” (Psalms 73:4).
Agudot. The matter refers to something bound together; similarly, "a bundle of hyssop" (Exodus 12:22).
“מוטה” – The matter of the “trees of the yoke” is akin to “bonds and bars” (Jeremiah 27).
Crushed. The matter of breaking and shattering, as in: "That crush the poor" (Amos 4:1).
"Free men." The term "free" denotes freedom, as in the verse "he shall go out free" (Exodus 21:2), meaning without payment. "You shall release." This denotes the concept of removal and dislodging from its place.
Malbim
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen?” [The verse continues:] “To open the bars of wickedness.” The wicked one who is hidden and concealed in holes and places of secrecy—open his holes to bring him out into the open. This means that the essence of the fast is that during the gathering, the wickedness of individuals that is hidden in holes should be exposed. For on the day of the fast, whoever knows of a wicked deed done in secret should disclose it. And also, “to untie the cords of oppression”—the “oppression” (mutah) referred to here is lesser than wickedness; it is a slight deviation from the straight path, and it is not bound with bars or covered over. It is only when it is in a bundle (agudah)—if many have banded together and joined to perform this oppression in public—that action is required. Although with an individual you need not be strict about a minor matter, this is not so when it is the sin of the community; you must untie this bundle and dissolve this assembly. He then explains in contrast to “open the bars of wickedness” by taking a parable and sending forth “the crushed ones free,” for when those who are oppressed and crushed are revealed, they will be sent forth free. And in contrast to “untie the cords of oppression,” he says, “and every yoke you shall break.”
Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, And that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him, And that you hide not thyself from your own flesh?
verse value 5080
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·poor" (וַעֲנִיִּ֥ים, 6 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·deal·out" (פָרֹ֤ס), "your·bread" (לַחְמֶ֔ךָ), "and·poor" (וַעֲנִיִּ֥ים). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "is not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "you·shall·bring" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "when·you·see" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'house', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: הֲל֨וֹא [is not] (42) + פָרֹ֤ס [to·deal·out] (340) + לָרָעֵב֙ [to·the·hungry] (302) + לַחְמֶ֔ךָ [your·bread] (98) + וַעֲנִיִּ֥ים [and·poor] (186) + מְרוּדִ֖ים [restlessness] (300) + תָּ֣בִיא [you·shall·bring] (413) + בָ֑יִת [house] (412) + כִּֽי־תִרְאֶ֤ה [when·you·see] (636) + עָרֹם֙ [naked] (310) + וְכִסִּית֔וֹ [and·you·cover·him] (502) + וּמִבְּשָׂרְךָ֖ [and·from·your·flesh] (568) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִתְעַלָּֽם [you·hide·yourself] (940) = 5080.
Rashi
“And the poor and crushed” – they sigh and groan over their distress, as it is said, “The poor and crushed” (Lamentations 3:19); “He will crush me among the thorns” (Psalms 55:3).
And from your flesh. And from your neighbor:
Ibn Ezra
Is it not derived from the root *parash*? Just as in “they have no *porash*” (Lamentations 4:4), and similarly “the *parash* of your kingdom” (Daniel 5:28), and the meaning is “the spreading out of a loaf of bread.”
“Afflicted.” The mem is part of the root, and it is akin to “afflicted” (1 Chronicles 4:41), and similarly, “Remember my affliction and my bondage” (Lamentations 3:19).
Bring a house. Your house:
"And you shall not hide yourself from your flesh." Just as it is said, "Near," as in, "Our brother, he is our flesh" (Genesis 37:27).
Radak
Is it not "to share [your bread]"? The spreading is the breaking; it is known from the statements of our Sages of blessed memory that one recites the blessing over the pieces of bread and then breaks it, and not otherwise.
"Marodim." As its Targum [renders it], "metaltalin" [movable property]; and likewise, "the poor and the marodim" [refers to] "the poor and their marodim"—the matter is one of moving [property].
"And from your flesh you shall not hide." To feed the hungry and to cover the naked is an obligation incumbent upon all Israel; but one who is his relative is obligated more than this. And if he sees that he is poor, he shall not avert his eyes from him until he is forced to ask for his livelihood, but rather he is obligated to lend to him and to open for him avenues through which he may earn a living.
“And from your flesh.” Just as it says, “A man, a man, to all his flesh,” meaning that one who performs these deeds is regarded as fulfilling all the commandments; rather, these deeds are mentioned because they are the opposite of the evil deeds that were mentioned.
Metzudat David
“Is it not to break your bread?” Indeed, on that very day, break your bread and give it to the hungry who have nothing to eat, and bring the afflicted poor into your house. The poor who sigh because they cannot find a place to take shelter—bring them into your house. “When you see” the naked, cover him with your own garment.
And from your flesh. Do not cover yourself from your relative, so that he may not see you:
Metzudat Zion
"Peros." The meaning is breaking and cutting, similar to "poresh, there is none to break it for them" (Lamentations 4:4):
"Merodim." They groan and moan, I moan in my complaint (Psalms 55:3):
"And from your flesh." [This teaches that you must take it] from your relative, as it is stated: "For he is our brother, he is of our flesh" (Genesis 37:27).
“You shall hide yourself.” From the language of concealment and hiding.
Malbim
“Behold, since it has explained the conditions of the fast, ‘This is the fast that I have chosen,’ it proceeds to explain the conditions of self-denial. Know that the Lord does not desire self-denial of the soul, nor that which you do not eat, but rather that you give to the hungry to eat. And it explains two matters and levels of charity, one higher than the other: 1. That you give to the poor his lack, in bread, clothing, and a dwelling place. 2. In place of bread, it says, ‘Share your bread with the hungry’ (even though you have whole bread, you shall break half of it for the poor, and give him from your clean bread); and in place of dwelling, it says, ‘And bring the poor who are cast out to your house’; and in place of clothing, it says, ‘From your flesh do not hide yourself.’ Let it not seem to you as though you are stealing your flesh for flesh that is outside you, but rather as though you have given it for your own flesh, for all human beings are one flesh.”
Then shall your light break forth as the morning, And your healing shall spring forth speedily; And your righteousness shall go before you, The glory of Hashem shall be your rearward.
verse value 3074
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֣ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·healing" (וַאֲרֻֽכָתְךָ֖, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·be·split" (יִבָּקַ֤ע), "as·the·dawn" (כַּשַּׁ֙חַר֙), "and·your·healing" (וַאֲרֻֽכָתְךָ֖). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "to·your·face" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "and·will·go" (root הלך, 60x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·sprout', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: אָ֣ז [then] (8) + יִבָּקַ֤ע [will·be·split] (182) + כַּשַּׁ֙חַר֙ [as·the·dawn] (528) + אוֹרֶ֔ךָ [your·light] (227) + וַאֲרֻֽכָתְךָ֖ [and·your·healing] (647) + מְהֵרָ֣ה [haste] (250) + תִצְמָ֑ח [will·sprout] (538) + וְהָלַ֤ךְ [and·will·go] (61) + לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ [to·your·face] (190) + צִדְקֶ֔ךָ [your·justice] (214) + כְּב֥וֹד [glory] (32) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + יַאַסְפֶֽךָ [will·gather·you] (171) = 3074.
Rashi
He shall cleave as the dawn. Like the pillar of dawn that breaks through the clouds:
And your healing, swiftly. And your cure, swiftly, as it is said, “I will restore health to you” (Jeremiah 30:17):
Ibn Ezra
Then shall Your light break forth as the dawn. That every moment the light shall increase.
"And your length." Your healing, and it is a noun, as it is said, "I will bring you a length" (Jeremiah 30:17). And there are those who say that "your length" refers to the days of the boundary of the illness; therefore, the word "speedily" is used.
"And Your righteousness shall go before You." [It means] "He will gather You," as in "He who gathers all the camps" (Numbers 10:25), and behold, He will keep You safe.
Radak
If you perform these deeds, you will not need to fast, nor to sit in sackcloth and ashes, and your light will break forth like the dawn, just as the dawn continues to grow brighter until the day is established.
Arokh. That is to say: your success.
“And your healing shall spring forth speedily.” Your healing: if until now evil has befallen you, whether in your body or in your property, now, when you improve your deeds, your healing shall spring forth speedily, like the growth of the earth, which goes on growing; so shall your success be. This shall be in this world and in the World to Come.
"Your righteousness shall go before you" (Isaiah 58:8) – When you die.
"The honor of the Lord will gather you" — to the place of honor where the souls of the righteous are bound up in the bundle of life. And he repeated this matter three times in different words to strengthen the matter, except that the second time he detailed things which he had mentioned in general, and the third time he mentioned in particular the keeping of the Sabbath, which is a great foundation for all the commandments, as we have explained above.
Metzudat David
"Then shall break forth" etc. When you shall do so, then shall the light of your success shine forth like the pillar of dawn breaking through the clouds and illuminating the world.
And your recovery. Your healing shall sprout forth swiftly:
"And he shall go." The righteousness that you have done shall go before you to lead you to the Garden of Eden, and the Glory of the Lord shall gather you to the place where the souls of the righteous are stored.
Metzudat Zion
As for "at dawn": It is the light that shines on the eastern horizon until the sun has not yet risen.
And your healing. The matter is one of healing, as it is said: “the healing of the daughter of my people” (Jeremiah 8:22).
"He will gather you." The meaning is "to bring in," as in: "and no man gathered them" (Judges 19:15).
Malbim
“Then your light shall break forth like the dawn” — this is your spiritual success and your happiness. It shall break forth little by little like the dawn (and this is a lesser degree compared to what will be explained in verse ten, which diminishes this success in three respects: a) that it shall break forth little by little, for spiritual salvation will come to him gradually, not all at once; b) just as the dawn does not come except at the end of the night, so too his salvation will not arrive except at its proper time, when the darkness has ended; c) that it shall be natural, like the dawn, which is natural). And your healing shall speedily spring forth — that is, the healing of the body and its salvation (here too it says it shall spring forth, meaning it will grow slowly, gradually, and in a natural way). And “your righteousness shall go before you” — this depicts it as if his righteousness will go before him to proclaim his deeds and his righteousnesses, and “the glory of the Lord” — which is the reward — shall gather him and lodge him behind him, like one whose enumerator of merits goes before him, carrying the reward, recompense, and honor after him.
Then shall you call, and Hashem will answer; You shall cry, and He will say: ‘Here I am.’ If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, The putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedness;
verse value 4051
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֤ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·speaking·wickedness" (וְדַבֶּר־אָֽוֶן, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·will·cry·out" (תְּשַׁוַּ֖ע), "if·you·take·away" (אִם־תָּסִ֤יר), "from·your·midst" (מִתּֽוֹכְךָ֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·shall·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·speaking·wickedness" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: אָ֤ז [then] (8) + תִּקְרָא֙ [you·will·call] (701) + וַיהֹוָ֣ה [and·Hashem] (32) + יַעֲנֶ֔ה [will·answer] (135) + תְּשַׁוַּ֖ע [you·will·cry·out] (776) + וְיֹאמַ֣ר [and·shall·say] (257) + הִנֵּ֑נִי [they] (115) + אִם־תָּסִ֤יר [if·you·take·away] (711) + מִתּֽוֹכְךָ֙ [from·your·midst] (486) + מוֹטָ֔ה [pole] (60) + שְׁלַ֥ח [stretching·out·of] (338) + אֶצְבַּ֖ע [finger] (163) + וְדַבֶּר־אָֽוֶן [and·speaking·wickedness] (269) = 4051.
Ibn Ezra
“From among you.” “From your midst,” and the meaning is with regard to thought; or, “From among you,” meaning from among Israel, and the meaning of “the inclination of the servants” [is as follows]:
“Stretch out your finger.” This is a verbal noun on the pattern of “Kishkab, my lord the king” (1 Kings 1:25), as if it said, “to stretch out a hand to strike his fellow, or to take his wealth.” Likewise, “and speak evil” – “evil” is a verbal noun.
Radak
“Then you will call.” For now, when you perform evil deeds, you say, “Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? But when you improve your deeds, you will know that I will answer you when you call to Me, and I will see your fasting and hear your prayer.”
"If you remove." If you return from these evil deeds and perform good deeds:
"Motah." I have explained it:
“Send forth your finger.” The word *shalach* (send) is used here in the same sense as stated above in the verse “and to strike the wicked with a fist.” The verse teaches: if you remove that evil deed—even by merely sending forth your finger, as people who are quarreling do, when one extends a single finger toward his companion’s face, not to strike him but to gesture—so too, you should remove “a word of falsehood,” meaning do not quarrel with your friend even in words. All of this is included in the general category of “the bonds of the wicked” mentioned earlier.
Metzudat David
“Then you shall call out, etc.” – When you act accordingly, then when you call out to the Lord, He will answer you to fulfill your request.
"You shall cry out, etc." The doubling of the matter in what is stated:
Behold, I am here to fulfill your desire.
"If you remove"—if you completely remove from within yourself the burdens of oppression that you have placed upon the necks of the poor:
"Send forth a finger." This is dependent upon the clause "if you remove," to say: if you also remove from sending forth your finger opposite your fellow’s face, as is the way of people who quarrel, and you also remove from speaking to your fellow iniquity and the words of a slanderer.
Metzudat Zion
He shall answer. From the language of answering and response:
Teshua. The meaning of "tze'akah" (cry) is like "sho'ati shama'ta kolai" (You heard my cry, my voice), as it says in Jonah 2:3.
Behold, I am. Here I am:
MUTAH. The trees of the yoke:
Awn. Its meaning is a matter that is not proper:
Malbim
“Then you shall call,” meaning not in a time of distress, and the Lord will answer and fulfill your desires. But if you cry out in a time of distress, then not only will He answer, but He will also say, “Behold, I have been ready to save you from long ago, even before you called.” “If you remove”—He says that you will attain all this reward only by means of “remove evil” alone, and by means of your refraining from sinning in three matters: thought, speech, and deed. Regarding thought, He said, “If you remove from within you crookedness,” meaning from within your heart and from your innermost recesses, you shall remove every inclination that is in your innermost recesses. Regarding deed, He said, “If you remove stretching out the finger,” meaning that even the slightest finger shall you not stretch out toward evil, and all the more so the entire hand. And regarding speech, He said, “If you remove speaking falsely,” meaning from speaking falsehood with the mouth.
And if you draw out your soul to the hungry, And satisfy the afflicted soul; Then shall your light rise in darkness, And your gloom be as the noon-day;
verse value 4411
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "and·you·draw·out" (וְתָפֵ֤ק, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·your·darkness" (וַאֲפֵלָתְךָ֖, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·you·draw·out" (וְתָפֵ֤ק), "and·soul·of" (וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ), "you·satisfy" (תַּשְׂבִּ֑יעַ). The root נפש appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·light" (root אור, 33x in Isaiah); "your·soul" (root נפש, 31x in Isaiah); "you·satisfy" (root שבע, 27x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root זרח ("and·will·dawn") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·satisfy', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְתָפֵ֤ק [and·you·draw·out] (586) + לָֽרָעֵב֙ [to·the·hungry] (302) + נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ [your·soul] (450) + וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ [and·soul·of] (436) + נַעֲנָ֖ה [answered] (175) + תַּשְׂבִּ֑יעַ [you·satisfy] (782) + וְזָרַ֤ח [and·will·dawn] (221) + בַּחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ [in·the·darkness] (330) + אוֹרֶ֔ךָ [your·light] (227) + וַאֲפֵלָתְךָ֖ [and·your·darkness] (537) + כַּֽצׇּהֳרָֽיִם [like·the·noonday] (365) = 4411.
Rashi
"And satisfy the soul of the hungry." With comforting, good words:
Ibn Ezra
And it shall bring forth. According to the meaning of "He obtained favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 8:35), and behold, your soul is like a deed.
"And the soul that is afflicted shall be satisfied." Always, affliction is bound up with the soul; this refers to fasting. And the word "shall be satisfied" is addressed to the congregation.
"And He shall shine in the darkness." Even in the darkness of night, light shall shine, and the meaning is that when evil comes upon the world, you shall be saved.
Radak
"Share your bread with the hungry." These are the good deeds that you should perform: you should give to the hungry with your soul and your desire, meaning that when you break your bread for him, you should do so with a generous spirit and with a pleasant countenance, so that he will recognize that you are giving to him willingly and with a good heart. And so too regarding clothing, as has already been mentioned.
And you shall bring forth. Like “and she brought forth” (וְתוֹצִיא), and similarly “He brings forth favor from the Lord” (וְיַפְקֵר רָצוֹן מֵה’), “they bring forth from one species to another” (מַפְקִים מִזֶּה אֶל זֶה).
“Teshave’a.” That the piece of bread you give him should be sufficient for satiation.
"As at noon." If you have experienced darkness and distress, you shall return [to a state] like that of noon, which is the strength of the daylight.
Metzudat David
"ותפק" – "And you shall give": You shall bring forth to the hungry your good desire, to speak words of comfort at the time that you give him the food.
“And the soul shall be satisfied.” The soul that is afflicted with hunger shall be given to it sufficient satiety.
“And the light shall shine in the darkness.” When the world is enveloped in the darkness of troubles, your light will shine, and you will not be included among them.
“ואפלתך” – If you experience the darkness of affliction, you will return to the brightness of midday with the rising of the light of salvation.
Metzudat Zion
And she shall bring forth. "And she shall bring forth" is similar to "Do not bring forth their scheme" (Psalms 140:9).
Your soul. The matter of desire, as in: “If you have it in your heart” (Genesis 22).
He was answered. From the root of affliction:
“And it dawned.” The matter of illumination:
And your darkness. From the language of deep darkness and gloom.
“Like noon.” This is the time when the sun stands in the middle of the sky:
Malbim
And “you shall satisfy” (ותפק): All the success mentioned until now will be because of your removal from evil, as it is stated, “He opens the prison doors to the wicked” (פתח חרצובות רשע). Likewise, the righteousness that you planned to give to the poor—bread, clothing, and shelter—is only from the side of not being cruel, for withholding [charity] is a transgression, and you are punished for this. Now it says: But if, in addition to refraining from evil, you add to do good out of love for goodness itself and out of love for the Lord, until you satisfy your soul to the hungry—meaning that beyond what you are obligated to give him according to the Torah, you will also expend your very soul, giving to him with a whole heart and a joyful soul, rejoicing in the mitzvah itself, and not giving him only your bread, as it is stated, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry” (הלוא פרוס לרעב לחמך), but rather you will also give him your soul; and also, “you shall satisfy the afflicted soul” (ונפש נענה תשביע)—meaning that beyond satisfying his body with food, you will satisfy his soul with a generous spirit and words of comfort—then your reward will be far greater than the previous one. In response to what was stated first, “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn” (אז יבקע כשחר אורך), it says, “And your light shall shine in the darkness” (וזרח בחשך אורך)—that it will shine suddenly in one instance, not only when the time of light arrives like the dawn that comes at the end of the night, but even in darkness, light will shine for you. And it adds that even your darkness will shine like noon, for darkness is greater than gloom, yet it will illuminate with great light like the light of noon, until the rising of your light will not be natural, but rather miraculous, wondrous, and providential. The allusion is that not only will spiritual success break forth in its time, which is at the end of the dark night, i.e., after the completion of the dark, physical life, when the dawn of the souls will shine after death, but even in your lifetime, great light will shine for you, spiritual salvation, and you will attain eternal delight even in this world, in accordance with the concept: “You shall see your world in your lifetime” (עולמך תראה בחייך).
And Hashem will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And make strong your bones; And you shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
verse value 4446
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4446 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "like·garden" (כְּגַ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·scorched·places" (בְּצַחְצָחוֹת֙, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·will·lead·you" (וְנָחֲךָ֣), "and·He·will·satisfy" (וְהִשְׂבִּ֤יעַ), "in·scorched·places" (בְּצַחְצָחוֹת֙). The root מים appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·you·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'He·will·strengthen', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
“In parched places.” In times of drought and famine, so the Targum translates it.
He shall strengthen. He shall arm, like the armed troops of the army (Numbers 31).
Ibn Ezra
"And the Lord will guide you continually." The meaning is that He will be with you in every place you go.
In drought. Like "clear" (meaning thirsty) (Isaiah 5:13), the opposite of satisfaction.
"And Your bones shall be redeemed." One says that it means "shall be separated" without a partner, and others say "shall be strengthened," like "the armed troops" (Numbers 31:5). And there are those who say that it means "shall redeem" like "He redeems" (Job 36:15), as we found "He shall send" (Exodus 8:17) "He sent" (Psalms 78:45), "He shall make glad" [Psalms 89:43] "He made glad" (Lamentations 2:17). And this is the correct interpretation, for behold, it is like "He guards all his bones" (Psalms 34:21), and behold, He will redeem them from breaking.
"They shall not be false." This is analogous to "they shall be cut off," and "kazav" [ibid., 4:3] is derived from the same root, for it denotes something that does not endure, as it is merely a temporary occurrence.
Radak
"And the Lord will guide you." Just as it is said, "Guide me in Your righteousness," meaning that You will always watch over you in whatever direction you turn.
“B’tzachtzachot.” The matter refers to dryness, as in the word “tzachah,” meaning thirsty; for when one is thirsty, it constitutes a lack of good in the world, [yet] He will satisfy your soul.
"And Your bones shall be made firm." [This is] to nourish, in the manner of [the verse] "Good tidings will nourish the bones," and the mention of the bones is because they are the foundations of the body. And in this sense our Sages of blessed memory said: One who goes before the Ark on the Festive Day of Rosh Hashanah says, "Make us firm, O Lord our God," meaning, "Satisfy us and nourish us with Your commandments." Or, another explanation is: "Cause us to rest," for so they interpreted it as a term for rest. And they said that this term is used in four languages: yashlif, yashziven, yazin, yanich. Yashlif is like [the verse] "And she shall remove his shoe"; yashzib is like "Deliver me, O Lord"; yazin is like "You shall pass through as those who have been released"; yanich is like "And Your bones shall be made firm." Just as you say, "Be favorable and grant us rest."
Like a watered garden. It has springs that water it, and it is always watered and satisfied, and the vegetables in it are moist. Or it may be like a spring of water, which is the source whose waters do not fail, for even in times of drought it flows. And the matter of its ending is like a falsehood, as if it deceives, as though it had never been there at all, according to the way of “the work of the olive and the new wine shall fail” (Habakkuk 3:17).
Metzudat David
And your path. The Omnipresent shall always guide you in the way that is good for you:
"And you shall be satisfied with the freshness of your soul." In the time when there will be drought and dryness in the world, you shall satisfy your soul, and you shall lack nothing good.
“And your bones shall be made strong.” He will heal and strengthen your bones. The bones are mentioned because they are the foundations of the body.
"And you shall be." You shall be as a garden that is watered, as a spring of water that fails not. For the way of a garden is to be watered at all times, and you shall be like a spring of water, constantly flowing with goodness, like a fountain that issues forth water, whose dripping waters do not cease.
Metzudat Zion
"And He shall guide you." The term denotes guidance, as in "and He did not guide" (Exodus 12).
“With dryness.” The matter refers to dryness and thirst, as it is written: “He dwells in dryness” (Psalms 61:7).
"Yachalitz." The term "yachalitz" is akin to "chaluzei tzeva" (Numbers 31:5), meaning "the vanguard of the army," and its implication is that he shall heal and strengthen.
"רוה" – this denotes satiety, as it is written: "and her furrows shall be satisfied" (Psalms 65:10).
“Yekhazvu” (fail). A term of failing and ceasing, as in “will You be to me as a deceptive [stream]?” (Jeremiah 15:18):
Malbim
And regarding “your soul,” in contrast to what was said previously, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,” it states that now you will not need to call at all, for the Lord will guide you constantly without any pause, even for an instant. And the spiritual bliss will be exceedingly great, for He will satisfy your soul with the brilliance of pure and refined light, the highest degree. And in contrast to the first perfection, which is the perfection of the body, it states, “Your bones shall be strengthened and armed with drink and strength,” until you shall be like a watered garden, from which the root sap fills all that grows within it; so too your bones shall be filled with freshness. And the spiritual success shall be likened to a fountain of water, from which people draw water with joy; so shall you disseminate your wisdom to many.
And they that shall be of you shall build the old waste places, You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
verse value 4936
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "period·period" (דוֹר־וָד֖וֹר, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "period·period" (דוֹר־וָד֖וֹר), "you·will·raise·up" (תְּקוֹמֵ֑ם), "fence" (גֹּדֵ֣ר). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·will·be·called" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah); "to·dwell" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "restorer·of" (root שוב, 51x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·raise·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וּבָנ֤וּ [and·they·will·build] (64) + מִמְּךָ֙ [from·you] (100) + חׇרְב֣וֹת [ruins·of] (616) + עוֹלָ֔ם [ever] (146) + מוֹסְדֵ֥י [foundations·of] (120) + דוֹר־וָד֖וֹר [period·period] (426) + תְּקוֹמֵ֑ם [you·will·raise·up] (586) + וְקֹרָ֤א [and·will·be·called] (307) + לְךָ֙ [to·you] (50) + גֹּדֵ֣ר [fence] (207) + פֶּ֔רֶץ [breach] (370) + מְשֹׁבֵ֥ב [restorer·of] (344) + נְתִיב֖וֹת [paths] (868) + לָשָֽׁבֶת [to·dwell] (732) = 4936.
Rashi
One who restores paths for habitation. Jonathan translates: He returns the wicked to the Torah.
Mishuvav. Like meshivav:
“to dwell.” For the settling of the world:
Ibn Ezra
And they shall build. The builders who will emerge from you:
“Foundations for generation after generation.” This refers to the requirement that it be established as a permanent institution that will endure for generation after generation.
“Tiqommem.” Like “[Teshuvav]” (Psalms 60:4), “He restores the paths to dwell,” meaning that after people no longer walk upon them, He restores them so that they may dwell.
Radak
"And you shall build from you." Just as evil deeds desolate the land, so too do good deeds repopulate it. And the explanation of "from you" is: the good deeds that emanate from you will rebuild the ruins of the world, which had lain desolate for a long time.
“The foundations of generation after generation.” The institutions that have fallen from one generation to the next—you will restore them through your good deeds.
And He calls you a "repairer of the breach." The inhabitants of the world will call you so, for by your merit and your good deeds, the breaches will be repaired.
“Restorer of the paths” for the sake of dwelling. For when the land is in ruins, the paths are desolate and no one travels on them, as it is said, “The ways of Zion mourn, because none come to the appointed feast.” And they will say to you that you are the one who restores the paths so that people may travel on them and dwell, for because of the settlement of the cities, the roads too will be restored. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “And they will call you: establisher of the path, restorer, who turns the wicked back to the Torah.”
Metzudat David
“And they shall build from you.” This means that the good deeds emanating from you will rebuild the ruins of the world; just as evil deeds devastate the world, so too will good deeds rebuild its ruins.
"The foundations of generation after generation." The foundations that fell in the days of the generations, You will raise them up through Your good deeds. And this matter is repeated in what is written, "And He calls you." All the inhabitants of the world will call you a mender of the breach, for by virtue of your deeds you have repaired the breaches of the world.
"Restorer": You are the One who restores the roads to be inhabited by people, for when the cities lay in ruins, the roads were desolate; but on account of Your merit, the cities were rebuilt and the roads were settled.
Metzudat Zion
Musadi. From the language of "foundation":
One who fences in a breach. He builds a wall in the place that is breached and broken, as it is said: “And the wall shall be fenced in” (Ezekiel 43).
Mashuvav. From the root of *heshavah* (to restore):
Netivot. A path and a way:
“La-shevet.” From the language of sitting [dwelling]:
Malbim
And as for the phrase “and you shall build up the ancient ruins,” it means that you will repair things that have been ruined from of old—corrupt and evil beliefs, opinions, and deeds—and you will also restore the foundations of every generation, for from you will be established firm foundations in every generation in matters of religion, faith, and conduct. And corresponding to “and you shall build up the ancient ruins,” it says, “you shall be called a repairer of the breach”; and corresponding to “and you shall restore the foundations of many generations,” it says, “you shall be called a restorer of paths to dwell in,” meaning that settlement will come about through your paths, which indicate the ways of life.
If you turn away your foot because of the sabbath, From pursuing your business on My holy day; And call the sabbath a delight, And the holy of Hashem honourable; And shall honour it, not doing your wonted ways, Nor pursuing your business, nor speaking thereof;
verse value 7589
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "exquisite delight" (עֹ֗נֶג, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·you·turn·away" (אִם־תָּשִׁ֤יב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 198: delight, your·delight. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "if·you·turn·away" (אִם־תָּשִׁ֤יב), "from·the·sabbath" (מִשַּׁבָּת֙), "to·holy·of" (לִקְד֤וֹשׁ). The root שבת appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "in·day·of" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "doing" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·holy', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 13 words.
Ibn Ezra
"If, etc." – "The Lord will guide you continually": If you turn your foot from the Sabbath, or it is attached to "one who corrects his path," and this too is correct, and the meaning of "from the Sabbath" is "from walking on the Sabbath (your foot)."
"to do Your will." The meaning is twofold:
"And you shall call the Sabbath a delight": that you should not perform labor on it, and that the soul should delight in hearing the words of Torah.
The holy day of the Lord, honored. It is the day of Shabbat. Now, the explanation of what is meant by “honored” is: “And you shall honor it by not pursuing your ways,” namely, the ways that you are accustomed to pursue on weekdays; and likewise, “finding your desire,” and “speaking a word,” are future matters, or matters of worldly affairs, but rather [one should engage] in matters of Torah. And the general principle is that we are required to receive this tradition.
Radak
“If you turn back from the Sabbath.” This refers to one who walked on the Sabbath beyond the Sabbath limit, and the phrase “if you turn back” means: if you were walking on your way and remembered that it was the Sabbath, and you turned your foot backward so as not to continue walking, thereby honoring the Sabbath, how much more so should you refrain from doing your own pleasure, which encompasses the labors for which one is liable to death. For even going beyond the Sabbath limit, which is prohibited by a severe negative commandment, you must guard yourself against it.
“On My holy day.” I sanctified it, as it is stated, “and He sanctified it” (Genesis 2:3). And the Omnipresent separated it from the other days. The meaning of “doing your pleasure” is [derived] from “doing” [the root עשה]; and the mem in “from Shabbat” serves as two [letters, implying the preposition min and the definite article ha]. “Your foot” and “your pleasure” lack the vav-yod of the plural. Our Sages of blessed memory explained that “your foot” is, according to the reading of the verse, a plural term, as they stated: “If one foot is within the boundary and one foot is outside the boundary, he may enter,” as it is stated, “If you turn back your foot from Shabbat” (Isaiah 58:13). We read it as “your feet,” meaning that even though it is written as “your foot” without the vav-yod, there is a tradition for the reading of the text.
"And you shall call the Sabbath a delight." If you refrain from [violating] the Sabbath, [this fulfills] a negative commandment; and "and you shall call the Sabbath a delight" [is] a positive commandment to delight the body on the day of the Sabbath with pleasant and good foods, so that by distinguishing it from the other days for the better, one will remember the work of Creation, and that God created it from nothing and rested on the seventh day, and thereby one will praise God and glorify Him with one's mouth and in one's heart, and one's soul will delight in Him. And the explanation of "and you shall call" is like "a holy convocation" (mikra kodesh).
“Holy to the Lord is He who is honored.” The duplication of the matter in what is stated, and our Sages explained it regarding Yom Kippur, saying: What is written, “Holy to the Lord is He who is honored”—this refers to Yom Kippur, in which there is neither eating nor drinking. The Torah said: Honor it with clean garments.
“And you shall honor it by abstaining from your ways.” This is the honor: that you refrain from performing any labor, for the meaning of “your ways” is your desires and your deeds, as in “I have recounted my ways” and “your ways to remove kings,” and similar expressions. And our Sages of blessed memory interpreted “your ways” as your customs, so that the custom of Shabbat should not be like the custom of weekday, as they said: “And you shall honor it” — so that your Shabbat garment should not be like your weekday garment, and so that your Shabbat walk should not be like your weekday walk, and so that the foods and drinks of Shabbat should not be like those of weekday. And the explanation is to change the custom of the time of eating, either to advance it or to delay it.
“From finding your desire.” The duplication of the subject matter in what is stated, “For He is like,” as in “making your ways,” as explained according to the simple meaning, and according to Targum Jonathan, “to provide for your needs.” And our Sages of blessed memory explained “from finding your desire” as referring to matters about which one should not speak on Shabbat regarding one’s personal possessions; these are matters that need to be attended to on weekdays. They derived this from the word “your desires,” and they said: “Your desires” are forbidden to be spoken about, but “the desires of Heaven” are permitted, as they said that calculations for a mitzvah are permitted to be calculated on Shabbat. And they said that one may designate charity for the poor on Shabbat. And they said that one may arrange engagements for young girls to be betrothed, and for a young boy to be taught Scripture and to be taught a trade, because all these matters, if one speaks about them, constitute a mitzvah. And even teaching him how he will sustain himself, so that he will not become a thief and rob people, is permitted. And they said, “And you shall speak,” meaning that your speech on Shabbat should not be like your speech on weekdays; that is, one should speak on Shabbat calmly and reduce one’s words. And it is said: Speaking is forbidden, but thinking is permitted. Nevertheless, the pious are careful even from thinking about their personal desires, and only about the desires of Heaven, like the deed of that pious man mentioned in Tractate Shabbat. And the Targum translates: “And you shall speak” – speak words, and “and murmur” – words of compulsion. The explanation is: speak words of compulsion, for thus it translates “words” as “compulsion,” and this is forbidden even on weekdays.
Metzudat David
"If you turn back from the Sabbath, etc."—This means: If you persisted on your way to exit the Sabbath boundary and then remembered that it was the Sabbath, and you turned back your foot on account of the Sabbath.
"to do." The mem of "mi-shabbat" stands in place of two [mems], and the meaning is: if you return from doing one of the forbidden labors.
"On My holy day" – this refers to the Sabbath that the Omnipresent sanctified.
“And you shall call the Sabbath a delight.” You shall call the Sabbath a day of delight, meaning: it shall be designated for you to take pleasure in it.
“Holy to the Lord is the honored day.” This refers to the day of Shabbat, which the Omnipresent sanctified; it is called an “honored day” because one should not perform weekday labor on it. “And you shall honor it.” This means that it is not sufficient merely to call it by its name; rather, you must honor it through your personal affairs.
"From finding." [This means] without finding in it your desire, i.e., that you should not fulfill your desire with it through things that are forbidden on Shabbat.
"And he shall speak a word." From this we derive that it is forbidden on Shabbat to engage in speech concerning prohibited matters, such as calculations and the like.
Metzudat Zion
He shall restore. From the term of restoration:
Your desire. From the language of "desire" and "will":
"Oneg." From the language of "ta'anug" (pleasure) and "tafnuk" (delicacies), as in "Your ways" and "Your matters." And similarly, "I have recounted my ways" (Psalms 119).
Malbim
If you were to answer that on Shabbat there are two commandments: A. The cessation from labor, and B. The delight, I say: If you perform these two not for the sake of your bodily pleasure (for the body also desires rest and delight), but solely for the sake of the commandment of the Lord, regarding the cessation He says, “If you turn back your foot from Shabbat,” meaning if this turning back, whereby you turn your feet away from labor, is due to the Shabbat and not from your own desire and pleasure. And behold, in the commandment of Shabbat there are two aspects: A. The cessation, which is a commandment; B. The holiness of the day, which the Lord sanctified, so that one should clear oneself of all the vanities of the world. Regarding the first, He says, “If you turn back your foot from Shabbat,” due to the Shabbat; regarding the second, He says, “If you turn back from doing your desires on that day,” since it is My holy day, set apart for holiness and the service of the Lord, and you shall not do your own desires on this day, but only holy desires, the desires of the Lord. And regarding the delight, He says, “And call Shabbat a delight”: A. That the delight should be due to the Shabbat, since it is the day of Shabbat; B. To honor the Lord, the honor being for the sake of the holiness with which the Lord sanctified this day for His holiness. And by guarding it for the sake of the Lord, the honor will be greater than “doing your way,” meaning in the matter of labor you shall be careful even not to prepare the way for tomorrow, and in the matter of delight, from “finding your pleasure,” it shall not be the delight of the body but of the soul. And you shall also be careful therein even not to speak any matter of secular things, but only engage in the service of the Lord.
Then shall you delight thyself in Hashem, And I will make you to ride upon the high places of the earth, And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father; For the mouth of Hashem has spoken it.
verse value 4568
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֗ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·make·you·ride" (וְהִרְכַּבְתִּ֖יךָ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·shall·delight·yourself" (תִּתְעַנַּג֙), "and·I·will·make·you·ride" (וְהִרְכַּבְתִּ֖יךָ), "high-places-of" ((במותי)). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "upon·high-places-of" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Jacob’s inheritance, your Father’s inheritance." The inheritance without boundaries, as it is stated, "And you shall spread out to the west and to the east, etc." (Genesis 28:14); unlike Abraham, regarding whom it is stated (Genesis 13:15), "All the land that you see." And Jacob observed the Sabbath, as it is stated (Genesis 33:18), "And he encamped before the city," meaning that he established boundaries at twilight. This is the explanation of Rabbi Shmson.
Ibn Ezra
“Then you shall delight.” If you call the Sabbath day a delight, then you shall delight in the Lord, like a son who delights in his father. “And I have set you upon the heights of the earth,” upon the high places of the earth, which is the Land of Israel.
"And I will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob." The meaning is: Behold, He will speak to the children of the exile; therefore, "And I will set you upon your high places," and also "restorer of paths."
Radak
“Then you shall delight in the Lord.” If you delight in the Sabbath, you shall delight in the Lord; that is to say, He will bestow upon you good things until you delight in Him and give thanks to Him and for His goodness, for everything is from Him and in His hand. And the delight in the Lord is the delight of the soul. And Rabbi Saadia Gaon interpreted it as the delight of the body; that is to say, the delight of your body should be for the sake of the Lord, not like the fools concerning whom it is said, “Delight is not fitting for a fool,” but the wise man will not increase in delight beyond what is necessary, but rather in accordance with justice, because he is occupied with wisdom and in it he delights more. Rather, the delights of the body, when taken in moderation, will improve his intellect and strengthen his three faculties: the faculty of memory, the faculty of discernment, and the faculty of thought.
“And I will set you upon the heights of the earth.” Just as it says, “He will mount him upon the heights of the earth,” and this refers to the Land of Israel, which is higher than all the lands. In other words, if you are exiled from it, [God] will yet rule you over it, as a reward for observing the Sabbath and the other commandments. This promise applies to all the exiles: if one is close to the time of redemption, he will merit salvation; and if he is distant from the time of redemption, he will merit the resurrection of the dead, and he will merit the Land of Israel and goodness.
"And I will feed you." The matter is repeated in different words, and Jacob stated that his sons are singled out for the inheritance: neither Ishmael, son of Abraham, nor Esau, son of Isaac. And similarly it is said, "And He established it for Jacob as a decree, for Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan as your allotted inheritance'" (Psalm 105:10). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: Anyone who delights in the Sabbath is given an inheritance without boundaries, as it is said, "And I will feed you the inheritance of Jacob your father" (Isaiah 58:14). Not like Abraham, concerning whom it is said, "Arise, walk through the land, through its length and its breadth" (Genesis 13:17); nor like Isaac, concerning whom it is said, "For to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands" (Genesis 26:3); but rather like Jacob, concerning whom it is said, "And you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south" (Genesis 28:14).
"For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." And since it is the word of God, He will fulfill His word.
Metzudat David
“Then you shall delight in the Lord.” When you act thus, then He will bestow upon you much good, and you shall delight in the Lord. And the meaning is: you shall not delight in the pleasures of the body, but rather establish the body in a state fit to comprehend the Torah of the Lord.
And I will set you. This means that you will be at the height of exaltation and dominion.
“And I will feed you.” This means: To you shall the land be given, which I have allotted to Jacob your father. And it is called Jacob because to him and to his sons was the inheritance given, and not to Ishmael, son of Abraham, nor to Esau, son of Isaac. And so it is stated: “And He established it for Jacob as a decree… saying: To you I will give the land of Canaan” (Psalms 105:11).
"For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." And since it is a word [of God], it shall be fulfilled.
Metzudat Zion
"And I will mount you." From the language of riding and exaltation:
My heights. The matter of height is like that of “upon the heights of the cloud” (above, 14:).
Malbim
“Then you shall delight in the Lord” — the delight that you will find will be for the sake of the Lord, a spiritual, soulful, divine delight, until you ride upon the heights of the earth and rise above all matters of physicality, and you shall eat the inheritance of Jacob. For the Lord promised him in the vision of the ladder that the land would be submissive to his feet and to the feet of his offspring, as I explained there.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim