And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it; but could not prevail against it.
verse value 4020
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 96 letters. The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָ֠חָ֠ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Remaliah" (בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֤הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 115: on, on. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "son·of·Jotham" (בֶּן־יוֹתָ֨ם), "son·of·Uzziah" (בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּ֜הוּ), "king·of·Aram" (מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲ֠רָ֠ם). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·it·was" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "on" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root רצין ("Rezin") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root פקח ("and·Pekah") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
"And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz." What did the Scripture see to ascribe [the episode] to him? Only because the end of the verse states, "and he was not able to fight against him." This teaches you that the merit of his fathers stood for him. The ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: "Woe! Who is this that a wicked king reigns?" He said to them: "He is the son of Jotham, he is the son of Uzziah; his fathers were righteous, therefore I am unwilling to stretch out My hand against him." This is the meaning of "and he was not able to fight against him" — on account of the merit of his fathers (Genesis Rabbah).
Ibn Ezra
"And it came to pass." [The verse states] "and he could not." This is an allusion to Pekach, son of Remaliah; therefore, the verse that follows it reads, "Aram rests upon Ephraim."
Radak
"And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz." It says "son of Jotham, son of Uzziah" because both of them were righteous — though he himself was wicked and caused Judah to sin, to the extent that God punished them and delivered them into the hand of the king of Aram and into the hand of the king of Israel, and the king of Aram took from him many captives, and the king of Israel killed in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand in a single day, and now both of them have come up to wage war against it."
And he was not able. Ratzin, for he was the main force of the war, and he brought with him Pekah. And so it says, “Ratzin went up,” indicating that he was the primary figure. And it states, “and he was not able to withstand him,” because of the strength of Judah and Jerusalem. For they feared that Jerusalem would not be captured, as it is written, “his heart trembled, and the heart of his people.” Rather, “he was not able” because God did not wish to give Jerusalem into the hand of an enemy, for merit still stood for them, as it is stated even regarding the days of Hezekiah: “for My sake and for the sake of David My servant.” This remained until the time came, and it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
In the exposition of the verse, “And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah,” what did the Scripture see fit to genealogically trace him? The Sages said: The ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He, “Woe to this one who has reigned, this wicked man!” The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them, “He is the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah; his ancestors were righteous. Therefore, it is not possible to stretch out a hand against him.” This is what is written: “And he was not able to fight against them,” because of the merit of his ancestors.
Metzudat David
“for war against her.” To wage war against her, and “he could not” refers to Rizin, for he was the main figure in the war.
"To fight for it." To be strong and to strengthen himself in battle. For since the time when Pekah fought alone, he became strong in battle, as it is stated in 2 Chronicles. Or, it is referring to Ahaz, to say that he was not able to stand against them to fight for the city.
Malbim
Ben Yotam: Our Sages of blessed memory explained that he mentioned his ancestors to say that their merit shielded him. Rezin first attacked alone (2 Chronicles 28:5), and Pekah attacked alone (ibid. 6), and each of them subdued Judah; but neither of them alone was able to wage war against Jerusalem, for God saved them.
And it was told the house of David, saying: ‘Aram is confederate with Ephraim.’ And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest are moved with the wind.
verse value 2807
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·Ephraim" (עַל־אֶפְרָ֑יִם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 40: his·heart, and·heart·of. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·it·was·told" (וַיֻּגַּ֗ד), "upon·Ephraim" (עַל־אֶפְרָ֑יִם), "and·quivered" (וַיָּ֤נַע). The root נוע appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "upon·Ephraim" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "his·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נוח ("restsed") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root ארם ("Aram") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Ephraim', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֻּגַּ֗ד [and·it·was·told] (23) + לְבֵ֤ית [to·the·house] (442) + דָּוִד֙ [David] (14) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + נָ֥חָה [restsed] (63) + אֲרָ֖ם [Aram] (241) + עַל־אֶפְרָ֑יִם [upon·Ephraim] (431) + וַיָּ֤נַע [and·quivered] (136) + לְבָבוֹ֙ [his·heart] (40) + וּלְבַ֣ב [and·heart·of] (40) + עַמּ֔וֹ [his·people] (116) + כְּנ֥וֹעַ [as·swaying·of] (146) + עֲצֵי־יַ֖עַר [trees·of·forest] (450) + מִפְּנֵי־רֽוּחַ [from·before·wind] (394) = 2807.
Rashi
"And he told the house of David." Since he was wicked, his name was not mentioned.
“Arām rested upon Efrayim.” The king of Arām allied himself with the king of Yisrael to come against you. The word “rested” (nakhah) is in the feminine form, because the kingdom rested. Poshir in the foreign tongue means “rested,” as it is said, “And He rested in all the borders of Egypt” (Exodus 10:14).
"And his heart was troubled." Because each of them had already fought against him individually and prevailed over him, as it is stated, "And the Lord delivered him into the hand of the king of Aram" (II Chronicles 28:6). And it says, "And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed one hundred and twenty thousand men in a single day" (II Chronicles 28:5).
"Submissive are the trees of the forest." The voice of the fruitless trees will be heard more than that of all the fruit-bearing trees, as it is stated in Genesis Rabbah:
Ibn Ezra
"And it was told" – Because the kingship over the Ten Tribes initially originated from Ephraim, the monarchy is referred to by that name.
“Upon Ephraim.” Just as “with,” and similarly, “And the men came with the women” (Exodus 35:22):
Radak
"And He told the house of David." He said to the house of David: "Were it not for David, the kingship would already have ceased from his descendants on account of their sin and the sin of this king, who was wicked."
“Arām rested upon Ephraim.” This is similar to “the men came upon the women” (Judges 21:11), and to “inform the king that the camp of Arām has rested with the camp of Ephraim” (1 Kings 20:29). That is, they came as far as the vicinity of Jerusalem, pitched their tents, and rested there in order to besiege Jerusalem and fight against it. The verb “rested” is in the feminine form, referring either to the camp or to the multitude of Arām, just as it is said, “Arām became” and “Israel became” (Genesis 25:23).
"And his heart trembled." He was greatly afraid, for he had already stumbled before them; for so it is written in Kings: "And he trembled." The word is written with a light (i.e., non-doubled) letter, and the nun is opened (i.e., given a vowel) on account of the ayin.
And it says, “The trees of the forest.” This is because they are all swaying on account of the wind, and one moves its companion by touching it due to the motion. And behold, the motion is greater than the motion of a single tree on account of the wind. So too, each of them was afraid, and one frightened the other. And there is one who interprets: The sound of fruitless trees is heard more than the sound of fruit-bearing trees; therefore it says, “The trees of the forest.”
Metzudat David
And it was reported. Before they went up to war:
“House of David.” This refers to Achaz, and because he was a wicked man, [the verse] did not wish to mention him by his name.
“Nahat Aram, etc.” Aram and Ephraim are the people; they camped against them to fight against them.
And he trembled. From the great fear, his heart trembled, like the trees of the forest that tremble in the wind.
Metzudat Zion
Nechah. The matter of "chaniyah" (resting/stopping):
"Upon Ephraim." "With Ephraim" is analogous to "And the men came upon the women" (Exodus 35:22):
And it moved. The word is of the form of "movement":
Malbim
And it was made known: afterward it became known to the House of David that Aram and Ephraim had joined together, and he feared them, shaking like the trees of the forest. The trees of the forest are fruitless trees that have no fruit; the wind moves them more than fruit-bearing trees, whose fruits weigh them down. So too were they, empty of all merit and hope for salvation from the Lord, and they trembled with fear of the enemy.
Then said Hashem to Isaiah: ‘Go forth now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fullers’field;
verse value 5399
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָ֔ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Isaiah" (אֶֽל־יְשַֽׁעְיָ֒הוּ֒, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "go·out·now" (צֵא־נָא֙), "your·son" (בְּנֶ֑ךָ), "conduit" (תְּעָלַת֙). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "to·Isaiah" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ברכה ("blessing") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root עליון ("the·upper") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·son', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
“And the remnant of your offspring shall return.” A small remnant will return to Me through you, and they are like your son.
“Until the end of the channel.” There you will find it: “Fosier” in the vernacular, meaning a channel.
Pool. Like a mikveh of water that is made for fish:
The upper one. On the slope of the mountain, and there is another pool below it, at its base:
A field of the fuller. A field where the fullers spread out garments to dry them; thus did Jonathan translate. And our Sages expounded: “He was subdued and brought low before Isaiah, and he placed upon his head the tub of the fullers; he covered him with a vessel.” What is meant by “a vessel”? A perforated vessel of the fullers, with which they sprinkle water upon the garments.
Ibn Ezra
"And He said." "Go now" – "now" means "at this time."
Sh’ar Yeshuv. The name of the son of the prophet, as I will explain; and those who say that “your son” is from the root of “understanding” have no understanding in grammar.
Tela’at. Like “in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38), and the waters run; but the brook is not like this, for the brook is a place where the rainwaters gather. And many said that it is called so because its waters come from a blessed place.
Radak
"And he said." And the rest will return, your son: Isaiah had two sons. One he named Shear-Jashub, as a sign and omen that the remnant of Judah will return again after the exile. This was not the case with the Ten Tribes, who did not return after seventy years and have still not returned, even though they are destined to return. Furthermore, Judah did not hasten into exile as the Ten Tribes did. The other son he named Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, as a sign and omen that the Ten Tribes will hasten into exile before the tribe of Judah. The opinion of Jonathan ben Uzziel is that Shear-Jashub was not Isaiah’s son; rather, "Shear-Jashub" refers to good men who were Isaiah’s disciples. He translated accordingly: "And the remnant that did not sin, and who will return from their sin, your disciples."
The Channel of the Blessing. The “channel” is the aqueduct that draws water from the “Blessing,” and the “Blessing” is a structure built of stones in which rainwater is collected. It states “the upper one” because there were two Blessings there, and this was the upper one.
A field of the fuller. Because they used to launder clothes there, it is therefore called a field of the fuller. And the Targum translates it as “a field of the spreading-ground of the fullers,” because they would launder the clothes there; therefore it is called a field of the canal, and they would spread out the clothes to the sun in this field.
Metzudat David
"You and Shear-Jashub your son." You too, go out to meet him, and so too your son, whose name is called Shear-Jashub, as a sign and token that the remnant of Judah will return from exile in the days of Ezra.
"Unto the end, etc." For there you shall find the upper one. For there were two: one above and one below.
A launderer’s field. The field in which they would spread out, facing the sun, the laundered garments:
Metzudat Zion
"Te'alat HaBerakhah." The berakhah is a structure built of stones and plaster, where the waters gather, and the te'alah is a trench adjacent to it. When necessary, one extends the aqueduct from the berakhah to it. And so it is stated: "the channel of the pool" (II Kings 19).
M'salat. A word derived from the terms "masilah" and "shvil," meaning a path or a trail.
Malbim
"Remnant shall return" (Isaiah 7:3): Isaiah named his son Shear-Jashub to awaken [the people] that the remnant of Israel would return to the Lord. And the Lord commanded [Isaiah] to take him with him to awaken them by allusion. The "conduit of the upper pool" is the channel and the pool that Hezekiah diverted because of the king of Assyria, as it is stated, "And that which he made, the pool and the channel, and brought the waters into the city" (2 Kings 22). And the Sages of Israel did not agree with him on this matter (Berakhot 16a). And it is possible that Ahaz also went to that place to stop up the spring and the pool, so that the enemy would not find water to drink, and the Lord commanded Isaiah to delay him.
and say to him: Keep calm, and be quiet; fear not, neither let your heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and of the son of Remaliah.
verse value 5316
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "to·him" (אֵ֠לָ֠יו, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·Remaliah" (וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָֽהוּ, 9 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "be·kept" (הִשָּׁמֵ֨ר), "and·be·quiet" (וְהַשְׁקֵ֜ט), "and·your·heart" (וּלְבָֽבְךָ֙). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "do·not·fear" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "to·him" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שמר ("be·kept") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שקט ("and·be·quiet") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
"Be on your guard." – This teaches that one should remain in peace, like wine upon its lees.
The smoking tails of firebrands. Let them be in your eyes like the tails of firebrands, whose flame is extinguished, "odim" in the vernacular.
Ibn Ezra
"And you shall say." "Take heed" (Hashamer) is accented on the final syllable (milra), from the root of "shemarim" (dregs/lees), as in Isaiah 25:6; like "he has settled on his lees" (Jeremiah 48:11); the meaning returns to "your lees." For the word "take heed" (hashamer) in the sense of "guarding" is always accented on the penultimate syllable (mil'eil), as evidenced by [the word] "do not fear" [which is likewise mil'eil].
And the silence. It is an active verb, and the meaning is: your soul or your people.
And these kings are likened to the tails of firebrands, as it is stated, “a brand plucked from the fire” (Zechariah 3:2). The meaning is that they are like what remains of a firebrand, which emits smoke but lacks the power to burn; therefore, “though their anger is fierce, they shall be as the tails of firebrands.”
Radak
"And you shall say." "Take heed" – this word alone is accented on the final syllable; therefore, we interpreted it according to another meaning, the meaning of "lees," namely, "rest upon your lees in tranquility," like one who sits upon his lees. And the Targum of Jonathan rendered it according to the meaning of "guarding," namely, "I will guard." And so did Rabbi Saadia Gaon interpret it: "Take heed from engaging in warfare, and be still; do not fear." And "be still" is a verb in the Hif'il or Yotzei conjugation, meaning: "calm your heart."
From the two tails of the firebrands. The "od" is a piece of wood with which one fans the fire. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, "to take an od from among the woods," it is not made for kindling, but rather it burns up bit by bit when one constantly fans the fire with it. And when it burns down until it becomes small, so that it is no longer fit to be held in the hand and used to fan the fire, they cast it aside to one side, and it becomes smoke. The Torah calls this the "tail of the od." The anger of the Lord is likened to smoke, as it says, "How long will the Lord’s nose smoke? How long will His anger burn like fire?" (Psalms 80:5). And just as the tail of the firebrand has no power to ignite anything, but is merely smoke that causes a little distress to the inhabitants of the house until the smoke is exhausted, so too these kings came in their fury, but they have no power to ignite and consume. In a short time their smoke will be exhausted, and they will return to their places and perish.
And the son of Remaliah. The interpretation is: along with Ephraim, just as it said Rezin and Aram. The verse abbreviated its wording, relying on the understanding of the reader, for when the king is mentioned, it is the rule that the people are included as well. And similarly it states in the following verse:
Metzudat David
“Take heed and be quiet.” Take heed from engaging in warfare, and be quiet—let your heart not fear, and let not dread come upon your heart. “The tails of the firebrands.” They are like these tails, which have no power to burn, but only to smoke; so too, they have no power to do you any harm, but only to frighten the people.
“In fierce anger.” Those who come in fierce anger:
Ratzin. Now he explains who the "firebrands" are:
"And the son of Remaliah." Explanation: [This refers to the king] of Ephraim, as it is stated regarding Rezin and Aram; and he relied on the understanding of the reader.
Metzudat Zion
Zanavot. From the word zanav:
“Ha’odim” – these are the pieces of wood that one stirs in the fire to settle it into place, and they burn away little by little due to the contact with the flames; and when they become small and are no longer suitable to be held in the hand, one discards them, and they emit much smoke. This is called the “tail of the od.” And similarly, “like a brand plucked from the fire” (Amos 4:11).
Malbim
“Take heed, to do nothing; and be still, in your spirit do not fear, from the enemy, and your heart do not weaken, from yourself (as one who has endured many evils has become soft-hearted by nature).” The two ends of smoldering sticks: The verse compares the camp of Aram and the camp of Ephraim to two ends of smoldering sticks, meaning that they are not strong wood, but rather a stick whose two ends have been consumed by fire. Nor do they resemble the middle of the stick, where the fire has not taken hold, but rather like the ends of the stick and its tips. Nor are they like a stick burning with fire, which can burn anyone who touches it, but rather like a stick that has been extinguished and is emitting smoke, which can cause only eye irritation, nothing more. Moreover, it is not smoking due to fire, for it is smoking “through the hot breath of Rezin and Aram”—that is, through the hot breath of Rezin. This means that it is not smoking due to the anger of the Lord, as in the case of Assyria, which is “the rod of My anger,” but rather through the anger of human beings; they have become like vanity.
Because Aram has counselled evil against you, Ephraim also, and the son of Remaliah, saying:
verse value 1927
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "because" (יַ֗עַן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·Remaliah" (וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָ֖הוּ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: because, against·you. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "that·he·has·counselled" (כִּֽי־יָעַ֥ץ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "against·you" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "and·son·of·Remaliah" (root בן, 43x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אפרים ("Ephraim") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: יַ֗עַן [because] (130) + כִּֽי־יָעַ֥ץ [that·he·has·counselled] (200) + עָלֶ֛יךָ [against·you] (130) + אֲרָ֖ם [Aram] (241) + רָעָ֑ה [evil] (275) + אֶפְרַ֥יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָ֖הוּ [and·son·of·Remaliah] (349) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1927.
Ibn Ezra
"Yĕʿan." Like "because," and it is possible that the yod is a sign of the future tense.
Radak
"Because he mentioned Aram but did not mention the king:"
Metzudat David
And he answered. Because he counseled such thoughts, the victory of the war depends on the power of his wisdom.
Malbim
“Evil counsel,” [means] evil advice, “to say,” [that is,] they would devise [it] in order to say:
Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set up a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel;
verse value 2052
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. Verse gematria: 2052 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֙לֶךְ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·we·will·vex·it" (וּנְקִיצֶ֔נָּה, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "we·will·go·up" (נַעֲלֶ֤ה), "and·we·will·vex·it" (וּנְקִיצֶ֔נָּה), "and·we·will·breach·it" (וְנַבְקִעֶ֖נָּה). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·us" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "and·we·will·enthrone" (root מלך, 73x in Isaiah); "we·will·go·up" (root עלה, 49x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root קוץ ("and·we·will·vex·it") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בקע ("and·we·will·breach·it") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words.
Rashi
And she will awaken us. She will rouse us in battle:
“And we will break it open for ourselves.” We will make it equal to them, like this breach, which is level; and so too does the Targum render it: “And we will make them equal with us,” that they should be equal with the Ten Tribes under one king.
“Ye son of Tabal.” “Son of the good to us,” so says the Targum. And there is an interpretation that “good” refers to one who is not good in the eyes of the Omnipresent. And according to the gematria of the letters, the numerical value of Tabal is that of Ramah; thus, “son of Tabal” means “son of Ramah.”
Ibn Ezra
We shall ascend. And we shall rouse it. It is an active verb denoting a result, meaning until they are roused in our presence; and the meaning [is derived] from the Jerusalem Talmud, on the basis of [the verse] “and we shall break through it.”
“Son of Tabal.” Some say that it is a corruption of “Remlah,” and that he was the son of Remalyahu; but this is nonsense. [Rather,] because the text first mentions “son of Remalyahu” and then says, “with Aram, and let us install a king,” one might say, “It is better for us [to read it differently].” And the word “el” [in Tabal] is nothing but a negation, as if it said, “Not the son of Tob.” The correct explanation is that it is the name of a great prince of Israel or of Aram.
Radak
“And we will ascend to Judah.” This refers to one who is the head of Judah, namely Jerusalem.
"And we shall rouse her." We shall lay siege to her until they shall awake from our presence and open to us.
“And we will break it open to us.” Or, “we will break it open,” meaning: we will breach its walls and enter it, and it will be in our possession, and we will appoint a king within it by our hand, and from him. And who will this be? It is At the son of Tobal. He was a man of the sons of Ephraim, whom they were considering to crown in Jerusalem. This was their counsel, but it will not stand and will not come to pass. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: “And we will rouse it, and we will break it open to us, and we will join ourselves to it, and we will make it our own.” And he translated “At the son of Tobal” as “Yit man da kashar lan,” meaning “He who is worthy for us.” He interpreted the word “Tobal” as an acronym for “Ha-tov elenu,” meaning “He who is good to us.” And there are those who explain that “Tav’al” is “Remala” by the alef-lamed bet-mem [albam] letter-substitution; and “Remala” refers to the son of Remaliah.
Metzudat David
And we shall besiege her. This means that we shall lay siege to her, until they become disgusted with us and open the gates of the city to us, and we shall break through her. Then we shall breach her wall for our needs, to enter within her, and thus she will be under our dominion.
And they made Ben-Tabeal king over them, and he was a man of the hill country of Ephraim.
Metzudat Zion
And she shall be loathsome. The meaning is something detestable, like "I have loathed my life" (Genesis 27:46).
"And I will break it open." The word is from the root *bak-ah* (to break open).
Malbim
And we shall pierce her: they compared Jerusalem in reproach to a boil full of pus, which they pierce with a thorn and split open, causing the pus to flow out, as it is expressed in the language of the Mishnah: “one who lances a boil.” And likewise, we shall conquer her and plunder her wealth for ourselves, said Ben Tabbal, a man from the house of Ephraim, who were considering crowning him king over Jerusalem.
thus says the Lord Hashem: It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
verse value 1391
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1391 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "my·lord" (אֲדֹנָ֣י, 4 letters). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root כה ("thus") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֖ר [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תָק֖וּם [will·rise] (546) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + תִֽהְיֶֽה [it·will·be] (420) = 1391.
Rashi
"You shall not stand." This is their counsel, that Judah be subjugated under them.
Ibn Ezra
"Koh" [Thus]: "It shall not stand": This is the counsel, as the word "counsel" (ya'atz) was mentioned above. And I have already informed you that every verb, if the Divine Name is not explicitly mentioned, the Tetragrammaton is implied in the power of speech.
Radak
Thus it is said: "It shall not stand—their counsel—and it shall not come to pass."
Metzudat David
"You shall not stand." Their counsel shall not be upheld, and it shall not come to pass. This is a duplication of what is stated:
Malbim
Thus says the Lord, but the Lord said, "Not only that it will not stand, meaning that their works will not be completed and the matter will not endure, but also that it will not be, meaning it will not have any beginning at all, for they will not fight at all."
For the head of Aram is Damascus, And the head of Damascus is Rezin; And within threescore and five years Shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people;
verse value 4863
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·behind" (וּבְע֗וֹד, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 444: Damascus, Damascus. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·behind" (וּבְע֗וֹד), "sixty" (שִׁשִּׁ֤ים), "and·five" (וְחָמֵשׁ֙). The root ראש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "with" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "head" (root ראש, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root דמשק ("Damascus") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בעד ("and·behind") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Rezin', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + רֹ֤אשׁ [head] (501) + אֲרָם֙ [Aram] (241) + דַּמֶּ֔שֶׂק [Damascus] (444) + וְרֹ֥אשׁ [and·head·of] (507) + דַּמֶּ֖שֶׂק [Damascus] (444) + רְצִ֑ין [Rezin] (350) + וּבְע֗וֹד [and·behind] (88) + שִׁשִּׁ֤ים [sixty] (650) + וְחָמֵשׁ֙ [and·five] (354) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + יֵחַ֥ת [fear] (418) + אֶפְרַ֖יִם [Ephraim] (331) + מֵעָֽם [with] (150) = 4863.
Rashi
"For the head of Aram is Damascus." This refers to Damascus, and Jerusalem has no connection with them.
"And the head of Damascus shall be Rezin." In Damascus there will be a head, and not in Jerusalem. And also Pekah and the Ten Tribes: sixty-five years after the day on which the decree was issued in the days of Amos, "Israel shall surely be exiled from his land" (Amos 7:11).
“Yichat Ephraim.” [This means:] Ephraim was scattered from the time that Sennacherib exiled them along with their king Hoshea son of Elah. Come and calculate from the prophecy of Amos until the exile of the Ten Tribes, and you will find 65 years. The prophecy of Amos occurred two years before the year Uzziah was struck with leprosy, as it is stated (Amos 1:1): “Two years before the earthquake.” And Uzziah was struck with leprosy in his twenty-fifth year; that makes 27 years. Add the 16 years of Jotham, the 16 years of Ahaz, and the 6 years of Hezekiah, as it is stated (2 Kings 19): “And he captured it in the sixth year of Hezekiah.” This is the ninth year of Hoshea, and he exiled Israel to Assyria. That makes 65 years. And how do we know the years of Uzziah’s substitution [i.e., the period when his son co-reigned due to his leprosy]? It is 25 years, as it is stated (2 Kings 15): “In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah began to reign over Judah.” Can one say this? But did not Uzziah and Jeroboam reign together, according to the calculation you will find in the Book of Kings? Rather, [the verse counts] his reigning a stricken reign: in the twenty-seventh year of his reign he was stricken with leprosy. And he reigned 52 years. And it is impossible to count 65 years from the day Isaiah said this prophecy, for he said it in the days of Ahaz, and they were exiled in the sixth year of Hezekiah. And so it is explicitly stated in Seder Olam that the Scripture counted [the period] for the prophecy of Amos.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki": The meaning of "ki" is like "for they are a stiff-necked people" (Exodus 34:9); rather, the meaning is because of the running and the alertness of those besieging Jerusalem.
And "still" (ve-od): It is as if it says, "Still, two remain, and so it shall be." And the addition of the letter bet is like the bet in "terem" (before). The beginning of this calculation is from the year of the thunder that occurred in the days of Uzziah, when Amos prophesied, and "Israel shall surely go into exile" (Amos 7:11). And similar to this is: "And it came to pass at the end of forty years, that Absalom said" (2 Samuel 15:7).
“Yachet.” It is derived from the root of “chatat” (Isaiah 9:3), and it is in the Nifal conjugation, like “yamam” (Isaiah 13:7), and the meaning is that evil will befall him from a nation that will come upon him. And it is possible that “yachet” is among those verbs that take a nun, like “yigash,” and similar to it is “tachat ge’erah bemavin” (Proverbs 17:10). And behold, the nun appears in the word “hanachat Hashem giborekha” (Joel 3:11), and the meaning is that he will descend from being counted as a people.
Radak
“for the head.” They will not be the head and king in Jerusalem as they had thought, for Damascus is the head of the kingdom of Aram, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; therefore, there will not be a head in Jerusalem. Moreover, I say to them that within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken from being a people. Its interpretation is that Ephraim will be broken, meaning that Rezin and Aram will be broken from Ephraim, so that they will no longer be together. And Ephraim will be lacking the vav of conjunction, like “sun and moon,” and there are many like it. The interpretation of “will be broken” refers to Rezin mentioned above, for he was speaking about him and about Aram, and he said that he too will be broken from Ephraim from being a people, and Rezin will not even be the head of Aram, and Aram will not be a city that can wage war and act on its own. Likewise, Samaria, which is the head of Ephraim today, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah, will not endure for a long time, for Aram and Ephraim will be broken from being a people. And likewise, it says, “he will carry before the king of Assyria the spoil of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria.” And it says, “and the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the children of Israel.” The calculation of sixty-five years does not begin from this prophecy, for in this chapter the child named Immanuel was born, and it says, “before the child knows to call father and mother, he will carry away the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria before the king of Assyria,” and it is also stated in Kings that the king of Assyria went up to Damascus, captured it, exiled its inhabitants, and killed Rezin. Rather, its interpretation is that within sixty-five years, upon the completion of sixty-five years from the prophecy of Amos, who prophesied against Damascus, saying, “I will break the bar of Damascus,” etc., and “Aram will go into exile from Kir,” says the Lord. And likewise, he prophesied about the exile of Israel. And the prophecy of Amos was, according to the calculation, in the seventeenth year of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel. How so? Jeroboam reigned forty-one years, and Menachem ten, making fifty-one; and Pekahiah son of Menachem two years, making fifty-three; and Pekah twenty years, making seventy-three; and Hoshea son of Elah nine years, and then Israel went into exile, making eighty-two. Subtract from them seventeen, and there remain sixty-five. This is an exact calculation, and we did not count six months for Zechariah and one month for Shallum.
Metzudat David
"Head of Aram." The capital city of Aram is Damascus, and it has no claim over Jerusalem.
"And the head of Damascus, Rezin." He was the head and king over Damascus, but not over Jerusalem.
"And yet": This means that even what is in his hand will not remain, for within a period of 65 years from the time this matter was decreed in the prophecy of Amos, who said, "And I will break the bar of Damascus" (Amos 1:5), it will be cut down and the kingdom of Aram will be broken, as it is stated, "And he went up... to Damascus and captured it" (II Kings 16:9). And this occurred in the days of Ahaz. He extended the timeframe because he also mentioned Ephraim.
“Ephraim is a people” (Hosea 12:10): You omit the vav [conjunction], and its proper reading is “And Ephraim is a people.” That is to say: Even the kingdom of Ephraim will be broken after a period of 65 years from the time when they were still a nation, for they went into exile in the days of Hoshea son of Elah, and this occurred in the sixth year of Hezekiah, within the period of 65 years from the prophecy of Amos, who prophesied against Aram and the kingdom of Ephraim, as it is written, “Behold, I am digging under you” (Amos 2:13), and “Israel shall surely go into exile” (ibid. 7:17). For his prophecy was two years before Uzziah was struck with leprosy, as it is written, “Two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1), and the earthquake occurred when Uzziah was struck with leprosy in the twenty-sixth year of his reign, as it is written, “In the twenty-seventh year…” (II Kings 15:1). And as it is written there, “All the days of his reign were fifty-two years.” Thus, there remained twenty-five years, and two years prior to that—making twenty-seven years. The days of Jotham were sixteen, the days of Ahaz were sixteen, and six years of Hezekiah—thus it was within the period of 65 years. For Jotham and Ahaz reigned for partial years, as it is stated in II Kings; and see there in the calculation of the generations.
Metzudat Zion
And still. This means: within the course of time.
יחת. "He will be broken" – similar to "their bows will be shattered" (Jeremiah 51:56):
Malbim
For the head, the capital city of the kingdom of Aram is none other than Damascus, whose wickedness was then well-known. From the wickedness of the royal city, we can judge the wickedness of the entire people and nation. And the head of Damascus and their king is none other than Rezin, who was also wicked. Certainly, all his servants were wicked, and all the inhabitants of his land were men of Belial. How then could these dare to rule over Jerusalem? And Ephraim has no merit for this, for their sentence had already been sealed by Amos, who prophesied at the time of the earthquake (Amos 7:17), that Israel would surely be exiled from their land. This prophecy has been on everyone’s lips ever since, stating concerning them: “Yet within sixty-five years, from that time, Ephraim will be shattered, so as to cease being a people.” And nevertheless, they did not set their hearts to return from their wickedness. For the wickedness of Ephraim, of Samaria, and of their king Pekah is well-known. For even after this prophecy, nevertheless, still:
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not have faith, surely you shall not be established.’
verse value 4017
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. Verse gematria: 4017 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "if" (אִ֚ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Remaliah" (בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֑הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 596: Samaria, Samaria. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·will·be·supported" (תֵאָמֵֽנוּ). The root ראש appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·surely" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "son·of·Remaliah" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שמרון ("Samaria") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Remaliah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְרֹ֤אשׁ [and·head·of] (507) + אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ [Ephraim] (331) + שֹׁמְר֔וֹן [Samaria] (596) + וְרֹ֥אשׁ [and·head·of] (507) + שֹׁמְר֖וֹן [Samaria] (596) + בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֑הוּ [son·of·Remaliah] (343) + אִ֚ם [if] (41) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תַאֲמִ֔ינוּ [believe] (507) + כִּ֖י [and·surely] (30) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תֵאָמֵֽנוּ [you·will·be·supported] (497) = 4017.
Rashi
"If you will not believe." To my prophecy, you, Ahaz and your people, whom I know are wicked:
"You shall not trust." This means: There is no trustworthiness in you.
Ibn Ezra
And "rosh." As I have explained:
"If you will not believe." The word "they spoke" is lacking, and the meaning is that they requested a sign; therefore, it is written after it, "And the Lord will give you a sign," and behold, it will be seen as the prophet said, "If you will not believe," that he did not answer.
And the meaning of "for you will not believe in the intercalation" is that there is no trust in you, akin to "your words will be verified" (Genesis 42:20).
Radak
And the head of Ephraim. I have explained it:
“If you will not believe, surely you will not be established.” The prophet said: If you will not believe in these words, why is this so? Because you are not trustworthy and steadfast in the faith in God.
"Be faithful." The matter of fulfillment is like "his waters are faithful."
Metzudat David
And the head. Even now, the royal city of Ephraim is Samaria, and it has no claim whatsoever over Jerusalem.
And the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah. He was the head and king over Samaria, but not over Jerusalem.
"If you will not believe." If you do not believe these words, this is because you are not established and strengthened in faith in God.
Metzudat Zion
"Let them believe." The matter of "keeping" is akin to "the faith of the wealthy" (below, ch. 33):
Malbim
The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and they did not change their ways, for Samaria was the capital of the kingdom of Ephraim. And likewise, Remaliah was her king, and this is a sign of the wickedness of the people: "If you will not believe." Since the prophet saw in him that he did not believe his words, he became angry with him and said, "Will you not believe?"—meaning, will you not believe the word of the Lord?—because you do not trust. Is it because you are untrustworthy that you dare to be bold and not even believe the word of the Lord?
Verse structure: 5 words, 21 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "speak" (דַּבֵּ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·continued" (וַיּ֣וֹסֶף, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·he·continued" (וַיּ֣וֹסֶף), "to·Ahaz" (אֶל־אָחָ֖ז). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "saying" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "to·Ahaz" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah). Full calculation: וַיּ֣וֹסֶף [and·he·continued] (162) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + דַּבֵּ֥ר [speak] (206) + אֶל־אָחָ֖ז [to·Ahaz] (47) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 712.
Rashi
"And the Lord added." And I will add prophets of the Lord.
Ibn Ezra
“And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz.” This was through Isaiah, and similarly it is written: “And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people” (2 Chronicles 33:12).
Radak
"And the Lord spoke further to Ahaz." Explanation: Through Isaiah.
’Ask you a sign of Hashem your God: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.’
verse value 1778
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "or" (א֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "ask·for·yourself" (שְׁאַל־לְךָ֣, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "ask·for·yourself" (שְׁאַל־לְךָ֣), "valley" (הַעְמֵ֣ק), "sheol" (שְׁאָ֔לָה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "with" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "your·God" (root אלהים, 82x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שאל ("ask·for·yourself") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root אות ("sign") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: שְׁאַל־לְךָ֣ [ask·for·yourself] (381) + א֔וֹת [sign] (407) + מֵעִ֖ם [with] (150) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ [your·God] (66) + הַעְמֵ֣ק [valley] (215) + שְׁאָ֔לָה [sheol] (336) + א֖וֹ [or] (7) + הַגְבֵּ֥הַּ [go·high] (15) + לְמָֽעְלָה [upward] (175) = 1778.
Rashi
"Ask for a sign, regarding this matter, for I know that you do not believe the words of the Holy One, blessed be He."
The depth of inquiry. Delve deeply and pose a question, just as it is written, “Hear, O God, and forgive” (Daniel 9:19)—that is, ask Him in the depths of the abyss to revive the dead for you, or elevate your voice to the heights to ask Him in the heavens.
Ibn Ezra
"Sha'al ha'amek she'elah" [Ask, make the request deep]: It is a command after a command, without a connecting vav, and similarly is "hit'achadi hayemani" (Ezekiel 21:15). And the word "she'elah" is on the pattern of "Adonai shama" (Daniel 9:19), as if it said: "Ask, and make your asking deep, whether it be low or high"; and some say that the word "ha'amik" also serves as an infinitive meaning "to raise."
Radak
Ask for yourself a sign. He knew that he did not believe in the words of God, and he himself proved that he did not believe that He had sent messengers to the king of Assyria and said to him, “Come up and save us from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising against us.” And if he had believed in the words of God, who had promised him deliverance from them, he would not have done so, nor would he have sent a bribe. Rather, because he did not trust in the words of God who had promised him deliverance from them, he sent a bribe to the king of Assyria to help him against them.
“The Lord your God.” He said to him, “Your God”—even though he did not believe in Him, he said: He is your God, and He will vindicate you from the hand of these kings; so believe in Him, for He is God — Master, Overseer, and Judge.
The depth of the question. The depth of the question is: Which sign would you like Him to give you? The word "question" is in the pattern of the imperative, "Hear, O Lord; forgive, O Lord." And the meaning of "depth" and "height" is: If you desire the sign in heaven or on earth, as the Targum of Jonathan renders it: "Ask that a miracle be done for you on earth, or that it be shown to you in heaven." And he said, "A sign concerning that which is on earth," for by means of a miracle was the sign that He gave him on earth, to bring understanding and recognition to the child.
Metzudat David
A sign. To make a sign, in order to know that the words will be fulfilled:
“Make deep the request.” Ask a request to make a sign in the depth of the abyss or in the heights of the heavens above:
Malbim
He said to you, “Ask for a sign,” because He saw in him that he did not believe. “Deepen your inquiry,” means: ask for a sign in a profound matter, namely, something from the foundations or something elevated above, such that He will perform for you a sign in the heavens, like the standing of the sun and the like. For one who requests a sign does so either for his own need, in order that he himself may believe, or in order that others may believe. And this is what it says: “If you request a sign for your own need, deepen your inquiry,” for this suffices for you, and it is preferable to be lenient regarding a miracle. But if you request it in order that others may believe, elevate it high above, so that it will be publicized to many.
But Ahaz said: ‘I will not ask, neither will I try Hashem.’
verse value 1216
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָ֑ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·I·will·test" (וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "not·I·will·ask" (לֹא־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל), "and·not·I·will·test" (וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ahaz', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אָחָ֑ז [Ahaz] (16) + לֹא־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל [not·I·will·ask] (363) + וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה [and·not·I·will·test] (153) + אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (427) = 1216.
Rashi
"I will not test Him. It is not my desire that His Name be sanctified through me:"
Ibn Ezra
"And he said." From the prophet's response we know that Ahaz's thought was for evil, and the reason is: "Not to ask and not to test," for I know that He will not be able to do what I ask of Him.
Radak
And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord.” All of this was due to a lack of faith. Although he spoke in the language of faith, saying, “I will not test God,” nevertheless, the prophet knew his heart, that he did not say this except out of a lack of faith, as if to say, “I do not care to test Him in this matter.” Therefore, the prophet answered him, “Have you also wearied my God?”
Metzudat David
"I will not ask, etc." – I will not ask for a sign, nor will I exalt the Omnipresent by performing a sign, for he did not desire that the Name of Heaven be sanctified through him.
Metzudat Zion
"Anseh" – the word is derived from the root *nes*, and its meaning is exaltation and elevation; like a *nes*, which is a long pole.
Malbim
"I will not ask, nor will I test." If his intention had been that he would not ask because he believes without a sign or wonder, he would have had to say, "I will not test, nor will I ask." The sense would then have been: "I will not test for my own sake, for He is already well-tried in my eyes, and I am not at all in doubt; nor will I ask for the sake of others, since the word of the Lord is trustworthy for all." But from the order of his words, "I will not ask, nor will I test," it is clear that his intention was: "I will not ask for the sake of others, for I do not at all desire that His name be sanctified and that others believe in Him; nor will I test for my own sake, for even with all signs and wonders I will not believe his words." (And this is also clear from II Kings [16], where indeed he did not heed the prophet’s word, which said to him, "Take heed and be quiet, and send a bribe to the king of Assyria." And this became a stumbling block for him and for Judah, for thereby the king of Assyria began to come against Judah time after time, as stated later from verse 17 until the end of the passage.)
And he said: ‘Hear you now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that you will weary my God also?
verse value 3174
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "hear·now" (שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֖א, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "hear·now" (שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֖א), "the·little" (הַמְעַ֤ט), "to·weary" (הַלְא֣וֹת). The root לאה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "that" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "hear·now" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֖א [hear·now] (467) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + דָּוִ֑ד [David] (14) + הַמְעַ֤ט [the·little] (124) + מִכֶּם֙ [for·you] (100) + הַלְא֣וֹת [to·weary] (442) + אֲנָשִׁ֔ים [man] (401) + כִּ֥י [that] (30) + תַלְא֖וּ [you·will·weary] (437) + גַּ֥ם [also] (43) + אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי [my·God] (447) = 3174.
Rashi
To weary men. The prophets of the Lord:
"When you weary..." etc. Because He knows that you do not believe in Him and have come before Him through your wickedness:
Ibn Ezra
And He said: "To weary [others]." A thing that he cannot do. And behold, its meaning is: because you are kings, and there is no power in man against you, you will think that so is the Lord.
Radak
And it says, “House of David.” They did not call him by his name to disparage him, as in “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And it mentions David but does not mention his father, because it was on account of David that he had the kingship, and on account of him that God performed miracles for him. And similarly, “And Moses said to Korach, ‘Hear now, sons of Levi.’”
“Men.” As its Targum renders it: “the prophets.” And similarly, “your God” is rendered: “the words of your God.” This means that you do not believe in them, and you think in your hearts that He is weary and weak from fulfilling His words. And “weary” and “weak” refer to weariness and exhaustion in speech or in deeds.
Metzudat David
“Is it too little for you?” And is it truly little that you weary people with arrogance and haughtiness, that you also wish to weary the Omnipresent with such words of insolence?
Metzudat Zion
The word "halot" (hardships/labor). It refers to the concept of toil, as in the verse "And how have I wearied you?" (Micah 6:3).
Malbim
“Wearying men,” which you attribute to a sign and the cessation of power from the prophets, and you will not believe that there is in the prophet’s power to perform a sign or miracle, as you have attributed, until you attribute to a sign and the cessation of power even to God, so as not to believe in His signs.
Cross-references: Genesis 19:11; II Kings 16:7; Isaiah 10:20
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
verse value 3306
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בֵּ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·young·woman" (הָעַלְמָ֗ה, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "the·young·woman" (הָעַלְמָ֗ה), "and·bearing" (וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah); "God" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sign', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
"the Lord will give you a sign" – He will give it of His own accord, against your will.
“Hareh.” The term denotes the future tense, as we find in the case of Manoah’s wife, to whom the angel said, “You shall conceive and bear a son,” and it is written, “And He said to her, ‘Behold, you are with child’” (Judges 13:3).
The young woman. My wife is pregnant this year, and it was the fourth year of Ahaz.
"And you shall call his name." The Holy Spirit shall rest upon her.
“‘Our God is with us.’ This teaches that our Rock shall be with us. And this is the sign: for she is a young woman who has never prophesied, yet in her the Divine Spirit will rest. This is as it is stated below, ‘And I will approach the prophetess,’ etc. For we do not find that the wife of a prophet is called a prophetess unless she herself prophesied. And there are those who resolve the difficulty by saying that this was said concerning Hezekiah. But it is impossible to say so, for when you count his years, you will find that Hezekiah was born nine years before his father’s reign. And there are those who resolve it by saying that this sign [indicates] that she was a virgin and not fit to bear a child.”
Ibn Ezra
Therefore. The meaning of “He” is: even though you do not ask for the sign, He will give it to you. And the difficulty is with those who say that it refers to their gods, whereas the sign was given to Ahaz, and that child was born many years later. Moreover, it says, “Before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.” Yet the land of Ephraim and Damascus were deserted in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign, and the Scripture says it was because of their two kings. Many have erred and said that Immanuel is Hezekiah. This is impossible, for if we say that this prophecy occurred at the beginning of Ahaz’s reign, then all of his reign was sixteen years, and when he died, Hezekiah was twenty-five years old. Others said that he was Ahaz’s son, and others said that he is an allegory for the kingdom. If so, what is the meaning of “the child knowing how to refuse the evil and choose the good,” and what is the meaning of “hurry the spoil, seize the prey” (Isaiah 8:4)? The correct view in my eyes is that Immanuel is Isaiah’s son, also Maher-shalal-hash-baz, as the proof is “And I approached the prophetess” (Isaiah 8:3), and also Shear-jashub. And each of these three sons was named as a sign of what is destined to happen: Immanuel, that the Name will help them and be with them in their distress, in which they stand because of the two kings; Maher-shalal-hash-baz, that the time of the exile of Samaria will come quickly; and Shear-jashub, that the remnant of Israel will return in repentance. And the faithful proof for this interpretation is: “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and wonders in Israel” (Isaiah 8:18), like “the children whom God has given me” (Genesis 33:5). Those who interpret them as his disciples see him as similar in Scripture. Also, Isaiah himself was a sign and wonder to Egypt (Isaiah 20:3). And the Gaon said that the sign is that he will be male. But in my opinion, the sign is “he shall eat curds and honey,” for it is not the custom of children to eat such things at the time of their birth.
And we know that the younger in years is called a na’ar, and the female a na’arah, also an almah, and the male an alem. And behold, it is possible for her to be a virgin or non-virgin, for the meaning refers only to age, as the word alem proves: “And the way of a man with a young woman” (Proverbs 30:19), and she is not at all a virgin, because it says earlier, “I have not known them.”
And you shall call. The word "ha'elimah" (the maiden) is spelled with a silent vav, just as in "ve-chatat amcha" (and the sin of your people) (Exodus 5:16).
Radak
Therefore. He will give you a sign from Himself, even though you do not desire it, and He will give it to you so that you will believe in Him against your will:
"Behold, the young woman is with child." The term "young woman" (almah) does not denote a virgin, but rather a young woman, similar to how "na'arah" can mean either a virgin or a non-virgin. And indeed, the phrase "a man with a young woman" implies a non-virgin. Similarly, a minor male in years is called an "elem" (youth), as in "Whose son is this youth." And since this woman was young in years, she is therefore called an "almah." This young woman is either the prophet's wife or Ahaz's wife, and the latter is the correct interpretation. For if she were the prophet's wife, it would have said "the prophetess," as it says, "And I approached the prophetess." Moreover, it states, "Your land shall be filled with Immanuel," implying that he was a son of royalty. It says: "Now she is with child, and now she is giving birth to a son, and his mother shall call his name Immanuel."
"And you shall call." It is concerning his mother that it says, "And their custom was that the mothers would name their sons." And it says, "And you shall call," in the manner of a commandment, for the prophet commanded that she call him by that name, for from the day he is born, there will be peace for you, and God will be with you; therefore, you shall call his name Immanuel. And what is the sign?
Metzudat David
Therefore. Since you do not desire that the Name of Heaven be sanctified, the Omnipresent will Himself provide a sign, and His Name will be sanctified.
The young woman. It is the wife of Ahaz.
Pregnant. It was still not known whether she was pregnant:
"And you shall call." The maiden herself shall call his name Immanuel, and this name indicates that God will be with us, and the hand of the enemy will not rule over us.
Metzudat Zion
"The maiden." Thus, one calls a girl who is tender in years "na'arah" (maiden); and so she is called even if she is not a virgin. And so, too, is the way of a man with a maiden (Proverbs 30:19):
Malbim
Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. This sign did not involve any miracle or alteration of the natural order; rather, it means a sign and token, like the verse "and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand." By commanding that the child be named Immanuel, this served as a sign and token that people would remember that the Lord is with us. Similarly, the other signs He gave, such as the naming of the child Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, and the writing of the scroll (Isaiah 8:1), were merely tokens. The commentators who sought to find in this sign an alteration of the natural order labored in vain, for truly, the prophet foretelling the end from the beginning, and the matter coming to pass as he spoke in the name of the Lord—that is the true sign to validate the truth of his prophecy. However, since prophecy is not always fulfilled, and this occurs when he prophesies evil, for when a wicked person returns from his wickedness, the prophecy is nullified, as stated by Jeremiah to Hananiah son of Azzur (Jeremiah 28:1). But when the Lord commands the prophet to perform some action in conjunction with his prophecy, then the prophecy will come to pass in any case, as I have explained at length elsewhere. Therefore, what the Lord commanded Isaiah to do—namely, to name the child Immanuel and Maher-Shalal, and to write on the scroll—this was a sign and token that his prophecy would be fulfilled and he would not retract it, even if the circumstances of the people concerning whom he prophesied should change. This is the sign intended here, and there is no need for a supernatural miracle alongside it.
"She was pregnant"—for the maiden, the wife of the prophet, was already pregnant—"and she called [his name]," a commandment: the Lord commanded that she call him by this name as a sign and token that the Lord will be with us.
Curd and honey shall he eat, when he knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
verse value 1557
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·evil" (בָּרָ֖ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "when·he·knows" (לְדַעְתּ֛וֹ, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "when·he·knows" (לְדַעְתּ֛וֹ), "to·refuse" (מָא֥וֹס), "and·to·choose" (וּבָח֥וֹר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when·he·knows" (root ידע, 73x in Isaiah); "will·eat" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah); "and·to·choose" (root בחר, 27x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חמאה ("curd") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·eat', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: חֶמְאָ֥ה [curd] (54) + וּדְבַ֖שׁ [and·honey] (312) + יֹאכֵ֑ל [will·eat] (61) + לְדַעְתּ֛וֹ [when·he·knows] (510) + מָא֥וֹס [to·refuse] (107) + בָּרָ֖ע [in·the·evil] (272) + וּבָח֥וֹר [and·to·choose] (222) + בַּטּֽוֹב [in·the·good] (19) = 1557.
Rashi
"Butter and honey shall he eat." The child [is to be understood as saying]: "May our land be filled with all good things."
According to his understanding, he detests evil and chooses good. When he knows how to detest evil and choose good, and from where do we derive this good thing? Is it not that now the land is desolate due to the raids of the kings of the land, and Pekach, son of Remaliah:
Ibn Ezra
Butter. According to his view, it is detestable, being a food of poor quality, for the good is that which is sweet.
Radak
"But butter and honey shall he eat." This means that from the day he is born, he will eat according to his own inclination butter and honey, and any sweet thing that is brought before him, he will open his mouth for it and take it; but if foul food is brought before him, he will reject it, close his mouth to it, and not desire it. This is what is meant by "abhorring evil and choosing good," and he will choose the good food, as it says, "But butter and honey shall he eat according to his inclination." The phrase "according to his inclination" is connected both to what precedes it and to what follows it. And we cannot say that this child is Hezekiah, for when Ahaz reigned, Hezekiah his son was nine years old, and this prophecy was spoken to Ahaz during his reign. Moreover, the young woman is also not Hezekiah’s mother, for she was not a young woman when this prophecy was uttered. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated the verse "But butter and honey" as: "Oil and honey shall he eat, until he knows how to reject evil and choose good." And to refute the dissenters regarding this passage, it is explained in the book Berit, composed by my lord and father, may his memory be blessed, in his response to the dissenters. And the matter of the passage refutes their words explicitly, for Ahaz was afraid because of these two kings, lest they capture Jerusalem, and a sign was given to him so that he would believe that they would not capture it. And if the sign were the thing they say, what sign would this be for Ahaz? A thing that would occur more than four hundred years later. How could his heart be strengthened by this thing, which did not occur in his days? And the other responses are arranged there in the book Berit.
Metzudat David
Butter and honey he shall eat. From the time of his birth he shall eat butter and honey, for he will desire these things.
According to his understanding. According to his own understanding, he will detest evil and choose good, even though he has not yet reached the number of days appropriate for understanding and distinguishing between evil and good.
Malbim
“Honey and butter”: When the child reaches the time when he knows to reject evil and choose good, he will eat honey and butter of the wilds. And the meaning is that he depicts with the child the depiction of the nation as a whole: just as his name, Immanuel, depicts the entire nation, that God is with them, so too his eating of honey and butter depicts the entire nation, whose God is with it, in that it eats honey and butter. And all of this is a sign and omen that even though the Land of Judah is now desolate, God in His mercy will leave for it a remnant. And how will this be? He explains:
Indeed, before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings you have a horror of shall be forsaken.
verse value 3574
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֠י, 2 letters) and the longest is "ground" (הָאֲדָמָה֙, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "shall·be·forsaken" (תֵּעָזֵ֤ב), "end" (קָ֔ץ), "two·of" (שְׁנֵ֥י). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "from·face·of" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root טרם ("before") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
For before the child knows to distinguish between the bad and the good, you shall depart. The land is desolate of its inhabitants, the land of Rezin and the land of Pekah.
"Which is your end." And he dwelt in fear of two kings, Rezin and Pekah. In that year, the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, because Ahaz bribed him, as it is written in the Book of Kings (2 Kings 16): "And he captured it and exiled its inhabitants, and he killed Rezin." And in that same year, Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah, and he struck him and killed him, in the twentieth year of Jotham (2 Kings 15), which was the fourth year of Ahaz.
Ibn Ezra
"For..." Some say he was twenty years old, due to the words of Moses, "From twenty years old" (Exodus 30:14). If so, this prophecy occurred in the second year of Ahaz's reign, and it is possible that he was under twenty.
Radak
“Ki vetarom” – My master and father, of blessed memory, explained: He said to him, “Before this sign reaches them, the kings will depart.” This is what is meant by “the land shall be forsaken,” i.e., it shall be forsaken by them, meaning they shall depart. However, it was possible that afterward he might return and capture it; therefore, He gave him this sign: once he sees the sign in the boy, he shall trust his heart in God, for just as this sign that was given to him was fulfilled, so too shall His word be fulfilled—that Jerusalem shall not be captured, and their counsel shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. And regarding what is said, “because of its two kings,” although they were not the kings of that land, namely Jerusalem, but rather the kings of Damascus and Samaria, the explanation is: “because of these two” who were plotting to become its kings.
Alternatively, the verse may be interpreted in another manner, and the second interpretation is not “despising evil” in the same sense as the first; rather, this second interpretation refers to “despising evil and choosing good” like other youths, who grow up and enter into the faculty of free choice from the time they begin to speak. And He said: “Before this boy begins to speak”—that is, before the time when he chooses good and despises evil like other youths, which is up to three years or earlier—“the land of Samaria and Damascus shall be forsaken and become a desolation,” which you now despise because of its two kings, Rezin and Pekah. And in order that you may believe this, God has given you this sign from now on: for as soon as the boy is born, he will choose good food and despise bad according to his understanding, as we have explained.
Metzudat David
For before, etc. Which, until this sign comes, your land will be abandoned by them, for they will go for themselves and not return. Again He said to him: A sign.
That you loathe. The land which you now loathe, because of the two kings who are thinking of being kings and ruling over it:
Metzudat Zion
Qetz. A repulsive matter:
Malbim
For before it is a short time, you will abandon the land which you loathe, it is the land of Ratzin and Pekah, which you loathe and despise, you will abandon it from its inhabitants.
Because of the two kings, due to the evil of the two kings and their wickedness, and consequently, after their land is destroyed, there will be a remnant for the land of Judah:
Hashem shall bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.’
verse value 3498
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "depart·Ephraim" (סוּר־אֶפְרַ֖יִם, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "he·shall·bring" (יָבִ֨יא), "and·upon·your·people" (וְעַֽל־עַמְּךָ֮), "and·upon·house·of" (וְעַל־בֵּ֣ית). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "upon·you" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עול ("and·upon·your·people") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root אשור ("Assyria") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
May the Lord bring upon you and upon your people. Regarding Hezekiah, your son, who will reign after you; and since he is righteous, it does not call him "your son."
"Days that have not yet come." From the day that the kingdom of the House of David was divided and Ephraim was separated from Judah, and what are these days? They are the days of the might of the King of Assyria. And even in those days, He will act on behalf of Judah. And so we counted (in II Chronicles 28:20) that he came initially against Ahaz, as it is written: "And Tiglath-pileser came against him and besieged him, but did not strengthen him." And in the days of his son Hezekiah, the miracle was performed.
Ibn Ezra
"He shall bring." The meaning is: when Samaria and Damascus are revealed [i.e., fall], then Sennacherib shall come against Judah.
Radak
“May the Lord bring upon you.” From these kings you shall not fear, but the Lord will yet bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father’s house, days that have not come, etc., meaning days of evil that have not come since the kingdom was divided, for then the evils began to come upon Israel, and the days of evil such as these were not included among the days that had passed. And who will be the one to do this great evil? The Lord will bring upon you the king of Assyria. And He said “upon you,” because upon him Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, came up and besieged him, as it is written in Chronicles. And He said “and upon your father’s house,” on account of his son Hezekiah, upon whom Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them, and no city remained in all the land of Judah that he did not capture, except Jerusalem. And He said “and upon your father’s house,” and did not say “upon your son,” out of respect for Hezekiah, who was righteous, whereas Ahaz was wicked.
Metzudat David
“The Lord will bring upon you.” However, from another place it is stated: “The Lord will bring upon you... evil days such as have not been like them from the day that Ephraim separated from Judah in the days of Jeroboam, when the kingdom of the House of David was divided, and then evils began to come upon Israel.”
"And upon the house of your father." This refers to Hezekiah, his son. And since Ahaz was wicked and Hezekiah was righteous, he did not call him "his son."
“The king of Assyria.” This means: Whom will He rouse to do evil? The king of Assyria, who is Tiglath-Pileser, who besieged him, and Sennacherib, who besieged Hezekiah, for he had captured all the fortified cities of Judah except Jerusalem.
Malbim
"Bring," but also you, because you did not trust in the Lord who commanded you to be careful and quiet, and you did not trust in Him and called upon the king of Assyria for salvation, therefore also upon you shall the cup pass, and the Lord will bring to you the king of Assyria time after time to destroy your land (as it is stated in II Kings 16, and II Chronicles 28), and it continues to recount what the king of Assyria will do from the day Ephraim departed, from the day the kingdom of the House of David was divided:
And it shall come to pass in that day, That Hashem shall hiss for the fly That is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
verse value 3637
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·for·the·bee" (וְלַ֨דְּבוֹרָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·hiss" (יִשְׁרֹ֤ק), "for·the·fly" (לַזְּב֔וּב), "in·end·of" (בִּקְצֵ֖ה). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root יאר ("rivers·of") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root מצרים ("Egypt") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֣ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֗וּא [that] (17) + יִשְׁרֹ֤ק [will·hiss] (610) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + לַזְּב֔וּב [for·the·fly] (47) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + בִּקְצֵ֖ה [in·end·of] (197) + יְאֹרֵ֣י [rivers·of] (221) + מִצְרָ֑יִם [Egypt] (380) + וְלַ֨דְּבוֹרָ֔ה [and·for·the·bee] (253) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [that] (501) + בְּאֶ֥רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + אַשּֽׁוּר [Assyria] (507) = 3637.
Rashi
"And the Lord whistled." This alludes to them, indicating that they should gather together.
“Lizzevuv.” “Many hosts, like the flies of the land of Egypt, shall come with Sennacherib.”
"the rivers of Egypt." Because the entire land of Egypt is composed of rivers, for rain does not fall there, but rather the Nile rises and waters it.
And to the bee. An army of mighty men sting like bees:
Ibn Ezra
And it shall be. The verse compares the army to a fly:
And the meaning of "the way of Egypt" is that the king of Assyria passed over them, and they all came to assist him.
Radak
“And it shall come to pass on that day, He shall whistle.” As if He whistles to them to come, meaning He will measure their spirit. And similarly it said above, “And He shall whistle to him from the end of the earth.” And it said “a fly and a bee,” because they gather in great numbers instantly; therefore, the commentator compared the army of Egypt and the army of Assyria to a fly and a bee, that they will gather quickly and come quickly, as it said above, “Behold, quickly and lightly it will come.” And similarly it is said in a parable, “Swarming like bees,” as the bees swarm. And the Targum says, “Thus will the Lord be able against the people, swarming of mighty men,” etc. And it said “at the ends of the rivers of Egypt,” because the officers of Egypt will come with the king of Assyria when he ascends to the Land of Israel. And it mentioned “rivers” because farmers prepare rivers in every place to water their land. And it said that even the farmers will leave their work and come, due to their great desire to destroy the Land of Israel.
Metzudat David
"On that day." On the day when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came:
He will whistle. This means: He will awaken their hearts.
To a fly. “Many hosts, like flies”:
"Which, etc." For all the might of Egypt, from its extremity, shall come to the aid of Sennacherib.
“Rivers of Egypt.” He said this because the entire land of Egypt is made up of rivers and rivers, and the Nile flows through them to water the fields.
And the bee. Mighty warriors, stinging like bees:
Metzudat Zion
Yishroq. The matter is the production of a sound by gathering the lips together, as it is said, "And they whistled and shook their heads" (Lamentations 2:15).
“Y’uray.” In the Torah, the Targum translates it as “nahra” (the river).
Malbim
"And it shall come to pass on that day, when the king of Assyria returned from Egypt and turned his face to conquer the land of Judah, he likened Egypt to a fly, which is weaker than a bee; so too were they weakened before Assyria."
And they shall come, and shall rest all of them In the rugged valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, And upon all thorns, and upon all brambles.
verse value 2228
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "all·of·them" (כֻלָּם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·thornbushes" (הַנַּ֣עֲצוּצִ֔ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: all, all. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·they·will·rest" (וְנָח֤וּ), "in·wadis·of" (בְּנַחֲלֵ֣י), "the·cliffs" (הַבַּתּ֔וֹת). The root כל appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·shall·come" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "all·of·them" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נחל ("in·wadis·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·crags', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבָ֨אוּ [and·they·shall·come] (15) + וְנָח֤וּ [and·they·will·rest] (70) + כֻלָּם֙ [all·of·them] (90) + בְּנַחֲלֵ֣י [in·wadis·of] (100) + הַבַּתּ֔וֹת [the·cliffs] (813) + וּבִנְקִיקֵ֖י [cleft] (278) + הַסְּלָעִ֑ים [the·crags] (215) + וּבְכֹל֙ [all] (58) + הַנַּ֣עֲצוּצִ֔ים [the·thornbushes] (361) + וּבְכֹ֖ל [all] (58) + הַנַּהֲלֹלִֽים [the·pastures] (170) = 2228.
Rashi
“By the streams of the valleys.” Streams of valleys, fallow fields:
And in the clefts of the rocks. To lie in wait, the clefts are the crevices of the rock:
"And in all the thorns": This refers to the place of thorn-bushes (which they call "brots" in the vernacular). Similarly, "under the thorn shall grow up a cypress" (below, 55).
“Behold the rejoicings.” Batei Tushbachta:
Ibn Ezra
"And they came." The word "and they rested" is accented on the final syllable, like "for he put me in the pit" (Genesis 40:15) and "they shall put My name" (Numbers 6:27).
The daughters. A desolate place, from the root of "I will make it a wasteland" (Isaiah 5:10):
And in the clefts of the rocks. He has no companion, and its interpretation according to its context is:
Even the thorn bushes have no fruit; so too, "and instead of the thorn" (Isaiah 55:13).
Also, there is no parallel for the word "hanahalulim," and behold, they will be many until they encamp in a place of settlement, and where there is no settlement.
Radak
“And they came and rested, all of them.” He said “rested, all of them” because the bees rest upon the flowers. And He said “in the brooks of the ruins” and “in the clefts of the rocks,” meaning in the cities that are in the valleys and in the fortified cities that are in the rocks. And the meaning of “batot” is ruins, as it is written, “and I will make it a ruin” (Isaiah 13:22), and the dagesh in the tav is in place of the nun. And the meaning of “the clefts of the rocks” is two rocks.
"And in all the thorns and in all the briers." These are inferior trees. As it is said: "Under the thornbush shall grow up the fir tree, and under the brier shall grow up the myrtle." They serve as an allegory for the cities of the plain. And the Targum [renders] "and in all the nahalolim": "houses of praise."
Metzudat David
In the valleys of the oaks. Because they are numerous, they will encamp even in those places.
Metzudat Zion
"By the brooks." The matter of a valley. And similarly, "And the servants of Isaac dug in the valley" (Genesis 26:19).
"The desolate ones." [Meaning] the desolate ones, like "and I will make her desolate" (above, 5):
And in the clefts. Its meaning is the tooth of the rock, and likewise in the cleft of the rock (Jeremiah 13):
The *neitzutzim*. A type of thorns. And likewise, "beneath the *neitzutz*" (below, 55):
"Hanahalolot." This is the name for inferior and contemptible barren trees.
Malbim
"And they shall come and rest" — these flies and bees shall rest in the valley of ruins and in the clefts of the rocks, among the thorns and the brambles, a place where it is customary for flies to dwell; and this is an allegory for their spreading throughout the land.
In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also sweep away the beard.
verse value 5469
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "river" (נָהָר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "hired" (הַשְּׂכִירָ֜ה, 6 letters). 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "he·shall·shave" (יְגַלַּ֣ח), "in·razor" (בְּתַ֨עַר), "hired" (הַשְּׂכִירָ֜ה). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "that" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah); "king" (root מלך, 73x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עבר ("in·parts-beyond·of") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שער ("and·hair·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foot', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
He shall shave with a hired razor. "The great one, and even its hired ones are within it" (Jeremiah 46:21). The Targum translates: "The great one, he shall shave."
“Beyond the river.” [This refers] to the inhabitants of the land beyond the river. And regarding which of the inhabitants [does the text specify that] the king of Assyria shaved the head and the hair of the legs? [As for “se’ar” (hair of),] since it is in the construct state, its vocalization changed, being pointed with a patach.
“Taspeh.” It means “it shall be consumed,” and the shaving is the execution, and the razor is the sword.
"The head" refers to Sennacherib.
The feet. Their dwelling places:
“The old man.” Our Sages taught: “The shaving” refers to actual shaving, and “the beard” refers to its burning with fire. “The old man” is Sennacherib, as it is stated in the Aggadah of Perek Chelek.
Ibn Ezra
"On the day." "The hired sword." An allegory for the departure of the Angel of the Lord, who struck down the camp of Assyria. Some commentators interpret "the hired sword" as "the great hired sword," and they said that just as it is so, its hired servants are within it (Jeremiah 46:21). But in my opinion, "the hired sword" there is like "the strength of food" (1 Kings 19:8), and it is from the root *sh-k-r* (to hire), meaning that the owner of the sword takes it, because it was exceedingly sharp, for this is its craft. And the meaning of "the head and the beard, the commander and the nobleman" is that it is so written (2 Chronicles 32:21):
Radak
"On that day" — this refers to the plague that occurred in the camp of Assyria when he came to Jerusalem after he had conquered all of the Land of Israel. And the angel of the Lord went out and struck the camp of Assyria. The plague is compared to a razor, because just as a razor removes the hair completely, so too was the plague great among them and their leaders, as it is written: "And all mighty men of valor, commanders, and officers were destroyed in the camp of the king of Assyria." And the meaning of "beyond the river" is the army that came from beyond the river. And this refers to the king of Assyria who came with his armies to Jerusalem. And what it says, "He will shave their head," means the hair of the head; and similarly, "and shave his head." This is an allusion to the leaders of his armies. And "the hair of the feet" refers to the hair of the private parts, which is a euphemism for the common people.
“And also the beard shall be destroyed.” The term “beard” is a euphemism for the king; therefore it says “and also,” for it is not customary to shave the beard, and even one who shaves his head will not shave his beard. However, it is the custom of the world to shave the hair of the legs. It said “destroyed” regarding the beard, and it was not included in the general term “shave,” because the king of Assyria did not die in the camp; rather, he died in his land upon his return, for his sons struck him with the sword. The word “destroyed” (taspheh) is an intransitive verb. The tav in “taspheh” is for the beard, for it is feminine language, like “and every beard is cut off,” even though it is also found in masculine language. And the Targum says, “the head of the king.” And it translated “and also the beard” as “and also his dominion.” “The hair of the legs”: it translated as we explained. The meaning of “hired” is that the razor which a person hires is good and sharp. And some say “a great hire.” And similarly, “great are the hired ones in her.” And the Targum says, “with a sharp sword.” “Sha’ar” is one measure for both “samuch” and “mu’cheret,” and it is in the measure of “na’ar sha’ar,” and it is not from the measure of “sha’ar tzahov.”
Metzudat David
"On that day." This is to say, but its end is indeed destruction, for on that day he shall shave, etc. And the razor is a metaphor for the sword, and the shaving for the killing.
The hired razor. For the razor that is rented for money is very sharp:
“Beyond the river.” [This refers] to the people of Beyond the River, and to those who were under the king of Assyria.
"The head." He shall shave the hair of the head and the hair of the legs. He means to say: the princes and the rest of the people.
“And also the old man’s beard shall be consumed.” That razor shall consume also the hair of the old man’s beard, and this refers to Sennacherib, for he too was killed then by his sons.
Metzudat Zion
"The hired one." From the word "hire," or it denotes greatness and importance, and likewise their hired ones among them (Jeremiah 46:21):
Taspeh. The matter is one of destruction, as it is written: “They are consumed, they are finished” (Psalms 73:19).
Malbim
“And it shall come to pass on that day” — all of this refers to the days of Ahaz. “The Lord shall shave” — the Lord will shave then, by means of “a hired razor,” which is beyond the river. And he explains who this “hired razor” is: it is the king of Assyria. That is, by means of the king of Assyria, who came from beyond the river, and he is likened to a hired razor that removes all the hair. “The Lord shall shave the head,” etc. This means that in those days, it was customary to shave the hair of the head, and it was a disgrace to let the hair of one’s head grow long and loose (for so were the priests warned not to grow their hair long, and the king would cut his hair every day). And the hair of the legs was also considered a disgrace, but not so much, for it was a hidden disgrace. But the beard hair was grown for honor and glory. In accordance with this, he prophesied that this razor, which is the king of Assyria, will shave the hair of the head. This is an allegory for the great wicked ones, whose disgrace is exposed and whose sin is public. And also the hair of the legs, which are the sinners in secret, whose disgrace is hidden. But since He has given permission to the destroyer, he does not distinguish between good and evil. And the razor itself (not by the Lord) will also destroy the beard, which is an allegory for the righteous. Therefore, he attributed this to the razor and not to the Lord, and said “will destroy” rather than “will shave,” for this is not shaving but rather destruction.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall rear a young cow, and two sheep;
verse value 2107
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "cattle" (בָּקָ֖ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "will·rear·a·man" (יְחַיֶּה־אִ֛ישׁ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·rear·a·man" (יְחַיֶּה־אִ֛ישׁ), "and·two·small·cattle" (וּשְׁתֵּי־צֹֽאן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "that" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חיה ("will·rear·a·man") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֖ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + יְחַיֶּה־אִ֛ישׁ [will·rear·a·man] (344) + עֶגְלַ֥ת [cart] (503) + בָּקָ֖ר [cattle] (302) + וּשְׁתֵּי־צֹֽאן [and·two·small·cattle] (857) = 2107.
Rashi
"And a man shall live..." And since their land will be desolate, as the armies will plunder the livestock, I will bestow a blessing upon the little that remains.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be." "And two flocks of sheep." This is a concise expression, and the meaning is that they shall be.
And the meaning of “a man shall live” is: one who will be in Jerusalem.
Radak
“And it shall come to pass on that day that a man shall live.” This too refers to the days of Hezekiah, and it states that there will be peace and blessing in the land, and due to the abundance of blessing, a man will be satisfied with a single cow and two sheep, as if he had herds of them at another time, for those days will be a time of blessing.
Metzudat David
"A man shall live." Each person should raise in his house a young ox and two sheep, and due to the abundance of blessing, they will be sufficient for him.
Malbim
"And it shall come to pass on that day" — nevertheless, even then the sign of "Immanuel" will be fulfilled, and the sign that the child will eat curds and honey, for due to the great desolation when the land will be ruined, each person will keep for himself a young cow.
and it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give, he shall eat curd; for curd and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land.
verse value 2967
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·abundance" (מֵרֹ֛ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·remaining" (כׇּל־הַנּוֹתָ֖ר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: will·eat, will·eat. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·curd" (כִּֽי־חֶמְאָ֤ה), "all·the·remaining" (כׇּל־הַנּוֹתָ֖ר). The root אכל appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "producing" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'curd', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֗ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + מֵרֹ֛ב [from·abundance] (242) + עֲשׂ֥וֹת [producing] (776) + חָלָ֖ב [milk] (40) + יֹאכַ֣ל [will·eat] (61) + חֶמְאָ֑ה [curd] (54) + כִּֽי־חֶמְאָ֤ה [for·curd] (84) + וּדְבַשׁ֙ [and·honey] (312) + יֹאכֵ֔ל [will·eat] (61) + כׇּל־הַנּוֹתָ֖ר [all·the·remaining] (711) + בְּקֶ֥רֶב [in·midst·of] (304) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (296) = 2967.
Rashi
"And it shall come to pass that because of the abundance" (of milk): The milk that these two flocks will produce will be despised in their eyes, and they will eat the butter, which is the fat of the milk.
All that remains. The righteous survivors from the sword of Sennacherib, he brings them great tidings that sustenance will be provided for them after all that desolation:
Ibn Ezra
“And it shall be, etc.” The meaning is that God, will bestow blessing, for a great amount shall come from a small amount; therefore, he shall eat curds and honey.
Radak
“Because of the abundance of milk.” Because they will produce so much milk, they will eat the butter, for the milk contains the whey, which is the serum of the milk, and when one drinks the milk, it becomes mixed and altered. In those days, because they will have such an abundance of milk, they will make butter from it and will not care about the whey; they will pour it out and will not eat from the milk except for the butter that they extract from it. And they will also have a great abundance of honey, as it is stated regarding the land: “flowing with milk and honey.”
"All that remain." For in the days of Hezekiah, the majority of Israel went into exile, and he said that those who remained would have great abundance in the days of Hezekiah.
Metzudat David
"From abundance." Due to the abundance of milk production, one does not mind the milk and eats the butter.
"For butter, etc. From abundance:"
Malbim
"And it shall be," and by this, the abundance will be so great that they will eat butter, for milk does not keep, and they will inevitably make butter from it, for they will not be able to sell the milk as merchandise, since butter and honey will be consumed by all the surplus within the land; and who would buy it, after everyone will have butter and honey?
And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, shall even be for briers and thorns.
verse value 3111
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "where" (אֲשֶׁ֧ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·standing place" (כׇל־מָק֗וֹם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: it·will·be, it·will·be. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "all·standing place" (כׇל־מָק֗וֹם), "will·be·there" (יִֽהְיֶה־שָּׁ֛ם), "with·thousand" (בְּאֶ֣לֶף). The root היה appears 4 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "where" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אלף ("thousand") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root גפן ("vine") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'silver', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָה֙ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֔וּא [that] (17) + יִהְיֶ֣ה [it·will·be] (30) + כׇל־מָק֗וֹם [all·standing place] (236) + אֲשֶׁ֧ר [where] (501) + יִֽהְיֶה־שָּׁ֛ם [will·be·there] (370) + אֶ֥לֶף [thousand] (111) + גֶּ֖פֶן [vine] (133) + בְּאֶ֣לֶף [with·thousand] (113) + כָּ֑סֶף [silver] (160) + לַשָּׁמִ֥יר [thorns] (580) + וְלַשַּׁ֖יִת [and·for·the·thorns] (746) + יִהְיֶֽה [it·will·be] (30) = 3111.
Rashi
“And it shall come to pass on that day.” On the day when the land shall be desolate, it shall be a place where previously, before the coming of the armies, there had been [inhabitants].
A thousand vines. They are worth a thousand silver coins, for they are destined to become thorns and briers, since their owners leave them unattended and they are abandoned; and they are prone to producing thistles, worms, and scorpions.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be." That which shall be there, just as it was; similarly, "Then sang Moses" (Exodus 15:1), "They made a calf" (Psalms 106:19).
“Of thorns and of thistles.” These are species of thorns, and the reason [for mentioning them] is that the camp of Assyria devastated the land year after year.
Radak
"And it shall be." The verse is as though inverted, and thus is its interpretation: "Every place that is now desolate and uncultivated, which they are unable to work because of the war, shall be worked in it," as if it had said, "That which is now desolate and uncultivated." And there are many like this. And it stated that that place shall be worked on that day, until a thousand vines in it shall be worth a thousand pieces of silver, so that the fruit shall be blessed, yielding much and good fruit.
Metzudat David
“For a thousand pieces of silver.” [This refers to] one who is sold for a thousand pieces of silver.
“Regarding the thorns and the briars.” The vines shall not be cultivated, and thorns shall grow there, for they shall not attend to the wine, because the generation of Hezekiah devoted themselves greatly to the study of Torah and ceased from [the production of] wine.
Metzudat Zion
“for the thorn and for the thistle.” These are names of types of thorns:
Malbim
“And it shall come to pass.” If you ask, why will they eat curds and honey, but not bread and wine? The answer is that the entire land will become a desolation, so that a place where there are a thousand vines worth a thousand pieces of silver will become thorns and briers; all the more so will fields of grain become desolate. Therefore, they will need to sustain themselves from the milk of animals. The phrase “thorns and briers will be” is phrased in such a way as to depict it as if the thorns and briers will be the masters of the land, to the extent that the precious vineyard, worth a thousand pieces of silver, will belong to them and be their possession.
With arrows and with bow shall one come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.
verse value 3384
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Verse gematria: 3384 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "name" (שָׁ֑מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "because·thorn" (כִּֽי־שָׁמִ֥יר, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·the·arrows" (בַּחִצִּ֥ים), "and·in·the·bow" (וּבַקֶּ֖שֶׁת), "because·thorn" (כִּֽי־שָׁמִ֥יר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "all·the·earth" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "will·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'name', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: בַּחִצִּ֥ים [in·the·arrows] (150) + וּבַקֶּ֖שֶׁת [and·in·the·bow] (808) + יָ֣בוֹא [will·go·in] (19) + שָׁ֑מָּה [name] (345) + כִּֽי־שָׁמִ֥יר [because·thorn] (580) + וָשַׁ֖יִת [and·thorn bushes] (716) + תִּֽהְיֶ֥ה [it·will·be] (420) + כׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ [all·the·earth] (346) = 3384.
Rashi
"With arrows and with bow he will come there." Anyone who wishes to enter it must have a bow and arrows in his hand to save himself from wild beasts, serpents, and scorpions.
Ibn Ezra
“With arrows.” A person cannot come to the place where the vineyards used to be, except with arrows, because he would fear that there are robbers who have hidden themselves in the thorns, or wild beasts:
Radak
“With arrows he shall come thither.” Now, one who wishes to come with arrows and with a bow on account of the wars—therefore, at this time, the entire land shall become shemir and shit, being uncultivated due to the war, and shemir and shit shall grow up.
Metzudat David
“With arrows and bow.” One who wishes to enter there must be armed with weapons of war to save his life from the predatory beasts that dwell there, since no human foot will tread there.
Malbim
“With arrows”: The text paints a picture as if the thorns and the briers were to come there, to the precious vineyards, with arrows and bow, and conquer them with his sword and bow until they become his and his possession. And this is a figurative depiction. Now he explains the figure of speech: that thorns and briers will be the entire land.
And all the hills that were dug with the mattock, you shall not come thither for fear of briers and thorns, but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of sheep.
verse value 5756
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "lamb" (שֶֽׂה, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·will·be·helped" (יֵעָ֣דֵר֔וּן, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "with·the·hoe" (בַּמַּעְדֵּר֙), "they·will·be·helped" (יֵעָ֣דֵר֔וּן), "not·you·will·come" (לֹא־תָב֣וֹא). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "not·you·will·come" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שה ("lamb") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·thorn bushes', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
And all the mountains. Where there were fields of grain:
“Which they shall dig with the mattock.” It is a kind of hoe, which they call “fossoir” in Old French.
Fear of Shamir and Shittim shall not come there. For they will be occupied with sowing grain for food, which is impossible to do without grain; but the vines will be for plunder, because that generation of Hezekiah will return to Me to engage in Torah study and not to drink wine. And so it was, as it is stated in [the chapter of] Chelek: “They searched from Dan to Beersheba and did not find a man who was not proficient in the laws of forbidden and permitted matters, and of impurity and purity.” And regarding that generation it says, “And every place...” It is this that is written (Proverbs 25:1): “Which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.”
“And it shall be for the one who sends forth the ox.” There, their livestock will graze in a rich pasture.
Ibn Ezra
"And all the mountains that are in the plowshare, etc." – The vineyards that were there at first, they shall now repair them, for there shall not be thorns there. And so great shall God bestow blessing upon the vineyards of the mountain that they shall even send out the ox there, according to the sense of "binding his foal to the vine" (Genesis 48:11). And behold, it is said that from one cow and two ewes, the milk shall increase; and the vineyards of the mountain, which by themselves shall be saved, God shall bestow blessing upon them beyond measure.
Radak
"And all the mountains." These are the mountains that are within the settled areas, which are cultivated. Even in the days of Hezekiah, the fear of shemir and shit would not come there as it does now, because they would be dug with a mattock, and they would not fear that shemir and shit would grow in them. Rather, they would be for the sending forth of the ox and for the treading of the ass, and the livestock would graze in them without concern due to the abundance of produce, in accordance with the phrase, "For the sending forth of the foot of the ox and the donkey." And a mattock is the name of the tool with which they dig.
They will dig. They will excavate:
Metzudat David
“And all the mountains, etc.” – This means: but the grain fields that are plowed with a plow.
"Fear of thorns." This means that they should not fear lest the thorns grow large, and this is because it is impossible to be without grain.
"To the one who sends out an ox." Their livestock will graze there and eat according to their desire, and they will trample with their feet without concern, for much produce will grow.
Metzudat Zion
"With a mattock they shall dig." [This refers to] those who are dug up with a digging implement. And likewise, "nor shall one dig" (above, 5:
And to trample. The meaning is treading with the foot.
Malbim
And all, and if you will ask, “If so, where will the livestock graze, once the entire land will be desolate and uninhabited?” He answers: The high mountains, which cannot be plowed with plowing implements due to their great height, but only tilled with a mattock and digging tools—to these mountains the terror and dominion of the shamir and the briers will not come. He depicts it as if the shamir and the briers, which subdue the land, will not extend their power to conquer the high mountains and cast their terror upon them. And there will be a place to send out oxen and sheep; there they will graze and lie down. The intent is that the precious places will become desolate, while the insignificant places will be inhabited for the lying down of cattle and sheep.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim