'The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light'; the child born, 'Wonderful in counsel,' upon the throne of David; and the hand still stretched out in wrath.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined.
verse value 2613
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. Verse gematria: 2613 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·go" (הַהֹלְכִ֣ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 207: saw, light, light. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "death-shadow" (צַלְמָ֔וֶת). The root אור appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·them" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "the·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: הָעָם֙ [the·people] (115) + הַהֹלְכִ֣ים [that·go] (110) + בַּחֹ֔שֶׁךְ [in·the·darkness] (330) + רָא֖וּ [saw] (207) + א֣וֹר [light] (207) + גָּד֑וֹל [great] (43) + יֹֽשְׁבֵי֙ [dwelling] (322) + בְּאֶ֣רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + צַלְמָ֔וֶת [death-shadow] (566) + א֖וֹר [light] (207) + נָגַ֥הּ [shall·shine] (58) + עֲלֵיהֶֽם [upon·them] (155) = 2613.
Rashi
“The people who walk in darkness” – these are the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who were in darkness due to their anxiety over Sennacherib, as is indicated by what Hezekiah said (below 37): “This is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of disgrace.”
"See the great light." In the downfall of Sennacherib:
Ibn Ezra
The people. These are the men of Jerusalem who walk in its streets like a blind man who cannot see due to excessive sorrow.
Radak
“The people who walk.” This teaches that when the king of Assyria will come heavily upon Jerusalem, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were walking in darkness, will see a great light in the downfall of the Assyrian camp. And the latter half of the verse is a repetition of the idea in different words.
Metzudat David
“The people who walked in darkness” – this phrase refers back to the preceding verse, to say that this nation, because they were not like other nations, for even they walked in darkness out of fear of Sennacherib; behold, in the end they saw a great light at the time of his downfall.
Those who dwell, etc. The doubling of the matter in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
Tzemelut. The shadow of death; that is to say, the darkness of the grave.
Nogah. The matter is illumination and rising:
Malbim
Regarding the phrase “the people,” after having explained that for the tribe of Ephraim, upon whom the sun of success now shines, there will then be darkness and gloom banished, he says in contrast to this: for the people who are currently walking in darkness, namely the tribe of Judah, there will be light in the fifteenth year of Hezekiah, after the defeat of Assyria. Now, sometimes a person may be dwelling in darkness at the very time that light is shining; if he hides himself from the radiance in a dark room, he need only go outside and see the light. In response to this, it says: “The people who walked in darkness… and hid their faces from the light, shall see a great light,” which is found all around them. And sometimes a person may dwell in darkness because there is no light in existence at all, as at night when the light is below the horizon; and this requires that the light rise and reach its horizon. In response to this, it says: “And those who dwell in the land of deep darkness, nevertheless, a light has shone and will rise upon them.” (And the allegory here is that the tribe of Judah: the light of the Lord and His salvation is shining in their land, but they have hidden their faces from it and have not seen the light; then they will recognize the salvation when it is revealed. And also those who dwell in the land of deep darkness, namely the exiles in Halah and Habor, from whom salvation is distant, will then return to the Land of Israel and rest in the shade of Hezekiah.)
You have multiplied the nation, You have increased their joy; they joy before You according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
verse value 4342
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "to·it" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 4342 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" ((לא), 2 letters) and the longest is "be or become great" (הִרְבִּ֣יתָ, 5 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "be or become great" (הִרְבִּ֣יתָ), "the·nation" (הַגּ֔וֹי), "you·increased" (הִגְדַּ֣לְתָּ). The root שמחה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "as" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "to·your·face" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שמחה ("joy") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שמח ("they·rejoice") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'joy', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: הִרְבִּ֣יתָ [be or become great] (617) + הַגּ֔וֹי [the·nation] (24) + (לא) [not] (31) + ל֖וֹ [to·it] (36) + הִגְדַּ֣לְתָּ [you·increased] (442) + הַשִּׂמְחָ֑ה [joy] (358) + שָׂמְח֤וּ [they·rejoice] (354) + לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ [to·your·face] (190) + כְּשִׂמְחַ֣ת [as·joy·of] (768) + בַּקָּצִ֔יר [in·the·harvest] (402) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + יָגִ֖ילוּ [they·rejoice] (59) + בְּחַלְּקָ֥ם [when·they·divide] (180) + שָׁלָֽל [spoil] (360) = 4342.
Rashi
"The multitude of the nations": They became great in the eyes of all who heard them, when the nations heard of the miracles that were performed for them.
"You have increased the joy"? And not for his enemies. And it is written with a lamed and an aleph [i.e. לא, "not"], because Hezekiah's joy was not complete, for in that very chapter it is stated to him: "Behold, days are coming when all that is in your house shall be carried away" (below, 38).
"When you rejoice in your harvest." The Targum [translates]: "Like the joy of the victors of battle, which is like the harvest: slayers of men, cutters of necks." And the verse altered its language to allow for a derivation: that this miracle occurred on the night of the harvest of the Omer.
Just as they will divide the spoils in their portion: Egypt in the days of Moses, so here too they divided the spoils of Cush and Egypt and the desire of all nations, as it is stated (below 37:9) that when he returned from above Taharqa, king of Cush, he came to Jerusalem with all the treasures of Cush and Egypt, as in the matter stated (below 45:14) "Egypt shall come and trade, Cush and Sabeans, etc." And all of them Hezekiah and his people plundered.
Ibn Ezra
“HARVITI.” This refers to Judah, who gathered together in Jerusalem. The meaning is that the joy was “harviti” (You increased it) as it is read, and when it is spelled with an aleph, there was no joy like it, just as it says, “There was no fear” (Psalms 53:6).
Radak
"You have multiplied the nation." The nation: Israel—You have multiplied it. This is like a parable of their enemies in the downfall of the camp of Assyria:
“You have not increased the joy.” The explanation is: “to him” refers to the nation that is remembered, and the word “not” is written with an aleph. The meaning of “to him” is that you have increased the joy for the nation, but for their enemies you have not increased it; rather, you have diminished it.
“Rejoice before You.” In the Temple, they offered praise and thanksgiving and rejoiced with great joy.
"When you rejoice at the harvest." Just as it is the custom of the world to rejoice at the time of the harvest, and the tav is in place of a he, like "simcha" (joy), and similarly, "If You give sleep to my eyes, [and] my eyelids [become] heavy," and the like:
"As when they rejoice in dividing the spoil." Just as they rejoiced when they divided the spoil of the Assyrian camp, so too did they rejoice with great joy afterward when they came to the House of the Lord to give thanks and praise for the great miracle that God had performed for them. And there is another interpretation: "As when people rejoice in dividing the spoil, so they rejoiced before You," in the manner of the verse, "I rejoice in Your word like one who finds great spoil." However, they also divided the Assyrian camp, and it is needless to say that they divided other spoils as well. The first interpretation is the correct one.
Metzudat David
"You have increased the nation." Through this, they became great and important in the eyes of all.
“To him, You increased the joy.” This means: If for the kingdom of Israel there was darkness and gloom, behold, for Judah there is the increase of joy.
“Rejoice before You.” In the Temple, they offered praise and rejoiced with great joy.
"As the joy of harvest." Just as it is the custom of the world to rejoice at the time of harvest:
"As they shall rejoice." Just as they rejoiced at the time they divided the spoils of Sennacherib, so too did they greatly rejoice before You in the Temple.
Metzudat Zion
I have multiplied. The matter is one of greatness, as it is said: "the nobles of the king of Babylon" (Jeremiah 39:3).
Malbim
“‘You have multiplied’—the prophet turns his face to the Lord and says: ‘Behold, You have multiplied and enlarged the nation, namely the camp of Sennacherib, in that You gave into their hands all the kingdoms of the land. But in this very matter, it is only for the people who walk in darkness, namely the tribe of Judah, that You have increased their joy. For thereby their joy was greatly increased, doubly so, because they were saved from such a mighty nation. And through this, their fame went out throughout the land: they rejoice before You with the joy of harvest.’ This means that, on one hand, a person rejoices more at the gathering of his grain at harvest time than at the gathering of spoils in war, for in the gathering of spoils, inevitably some of his own people are also killed in the war. But on the other hand, one might rejoice more at the gathering of spoils, for the joy of victory is greater than all. Here, however, they did not fight, nor was any of them killed; thus their joy resembles, on one hand, the joy of harvest, which is gathered without war and without danger, and on the other hand, it resembles the rejoicing over one’s share of spoils, for they defeated their enemy, and the enemy fell by the hand of the Angel of the Lord.”
For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, You have broken as in the day of Midian.
verse value 3126
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·yoke" (אֶת־עֹ֣ל, 4 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "the·yoke" (אֶת־עֹ֣ל), "that·presses" (הַנֹּגֵ֣שׂ), "You·have·broken" (הַחִתֹּ֖תָ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "as·day·of" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "in·him" (root בו, 24x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root סבל ("his·burden") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שבט ("rod") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אֶת־עֹ֣ל [the·yoke] (501) + סֻבֳּל֗וֹ [his·burden] (98) + וְאֵת֙ [and·(object marker)] (407) + מַטֵּ֣ה [staff] (54) + שִׁכְמ֔וֹ [his·shoulder] (366) + שֵׁ֖בֶט [rod] (311) + הַנֹּגֵ֣שׂ [that·presses] (358) + בּ֑וֹ [in·him] (8) + הַחִתֹּ֖תָ [You·have·broken] (813) + כְּי֥וֹם [as·day·of] (76) + מִדְיָֽן [Midian] (104) = 3126.
Rashi
"For they bore the yoke." A yoke that was a burden to Hezekiah, and that caused him to bend his shoulder under a heavy load, to pay a harsh tribute; and "the rod of his oppressor" — with which he oppressed Hezekiah.
"You have broken (ha-chittota)." For it fled together in one night:
Like the day of Midian. In the days of Gideon, they too fell together in one night, and on the night of the Omer harvest, as it is stated: “And behold, the sound of barley cakes was turning over in the camp of Midian.”
Ibn Ezra
"For the yoke of his burden." The forms of the nouns are different:
Staff. That which strikes his shoulder:
“Hachatot.” The he is open (with a patach) due to the guttural letter, like “hachalot” (Deuteronomy 3:24), and it is not a foreign word; and the tav in “hachatot” is second person, addressing God, like “haravita ha-goy.”
"As on the day of Midian. In the days of Gideon (Judges 7 and 8):"
Radak
"Ki et" – The king of Assyria was the oppressive yoke borne by Israel, and the staff that struck them; that is to say, he was a burden upon them, and he was the rod that smote Israel. And You have broken it, the staff.
On the day of Midian. Just as Midian was humbled in the war of Gideon, and likewise it is stated in the Psalm: “Do to them as to Midian” (Psalm 83:13), for on that day there was a great miracle and a great salvation, for Gideon with three hundred men struck down the entire camp of Midian, which was as numerous as locusts in multitude, and neither they nor their camels could be numbered.
Metzudat David
"For the yoke of his burden." The yoke that Hezekiah was bearing, and whoever inclined his shoulder to place upon him a heavy burden, to levy a harsh tribute, and the staff with which they struck and ruled over him, which was Assyria. And the matter is doubled in the statement, for the sake of rhetorical embellishment.
The phrase "you have destroyed" refers to this nation, which You shattered in a single night, just as the defeat of Midian occurred in the days of Gideon, for they too were destroyed in a single night.
Metzudat Zion
He bore. A word from the root of "burden" and "load":
Shevet. Thus is the ruler called, as in “The scepter shall not depart from Judah” (Genesis 49:10).
"The oppressor." The matter is of pressure and squeezing.
The breaking. The matter of breaking:
Malbim
“Because you have borne their burden” — He has lifted their yoke. This is compared to an ox whose master leans on its goad, like an ox engaged in fieldwork, which involves three elements: 1. The yoke it bears on its neck; 2. Its master, who walks alongside it and leans on its goad, driving it with cruelty through the yoke; 3. The staff with which he strikes it at every moment. He likened their servitude to Assyria through these three elements: 1. The heavy burden of taxation is the yoke they bore; 2. The cruel ruler is the one who leaned on their goad, forcing them to endure the yoke of taxation; 3. His armies and camp are the staff with which he struck them at every moment when they did not obey his command. Now, sometimes the yoke and the heavy taxation were removed from them, but the cruel ruler still remained; and sometimes the ruler also died, but his people and his camp still remained, for they are the staff. Therefore it says: “For in the downfall of Sennacherib they were saved from every side,” because in one single instance the yoke of their burden was broken — namely, the taxation and the labor in which he had enslaved them — and also the one who leaned on their goad, the King of Assyria, was killed by his sons, and also the staff with which they were struck was broken — namely, his camp, which was killed by the angel. And all of them You terrified and shattered, as on the day of Midian, who oppressed Israel and were also killed by a miracle, all of them in one night (Judges 6:1). And according to the words of our Sages of blessed memory, the downfall of Midian and Assyria both occurred on the night of Passover, and by the merit of the Omer offering.
For every boot stamped with fierceness, and every cloak rolled in blood, shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire.
verse value 3304
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·sandal" (כׇל־סְאוֹן֙, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "all·sandal" (כׇל־סְאוֹן֙), "treading" (סֹאֵ֣ן), "in·quaking" (בְּרַ֔עַשׁ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "fire" (root אש, 27x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root רעש ("in·quaking") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·blood', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + כׇל־סְאוֹן֙ [all·sandal] (167) + סֹאֵ֣ן [treading] (111) + בְּרַ֔עַשׁ [in·quaking] (572) + וְשִׂמְלָ֖ה [garment] (381) + מְגוֹלָלָ֣ה [rolled] (114) + בְדָמִ֑ים [in·blood] (96) + וְהָיְתָ֥ה [and·it·shall·be] (426) + לִשְׂרֵפָ֖ה [for·burning] (615) + מַאֲכֹ֥לֶת [fuel] (491) + אֵֽשׁ [fire] (301) = 3304.
Rashi
"Every tumult is a tumult with noise." Some explain it as the language of "seah" and measure, as our Sages interpreted it; but according to the plain meaning of the language of the Scripture, it is not possible to interpret it from its root, since the vav and the nun are not part of the root of the word, but just as "sha'on" [tumult] is from "sho'ah" [calamity], and "hamon" [multitude] is from "homah" [commotion], and "charon" [wrath] is from "charah" [was angry], it does not become passive with "hamon" to say "so'an" but "so'ah," just as from "hamon" comes "homah," and from "sha'on" comes "sho'ah," and one does not say "sho'an," "homan," "churan." And I say that its interpretation is according to the context, and it has no parallel from the Scripture, and its interpretation is the language of the shout of victory in war, for "every tumult is a tumult with noise" [means] the sound of victory, someone victorious in war with noise, the galloping of horses and the clashing of shields.
"And her garment." The slain of war are rolled in blood, but this victory has no tumult and no blood. "And it was for burning; it consumed." "Consumed" from the root of "eating."
Ibn Ezra
"Ki, etc." Some say that "sa'on" is derived from the root "se'ah" (a measure), meaning that God measured out to Assyria according to his deeds. And there are those who say that it is the reverse of "asun" (calamity), just as "kevesh" (ram) and "kasev" (lamb) are reversals of each other. But the correct explanation is that this word has no similar counterpart, and the proof is from the word "so'an," where the vav is the active letter and the nun is the root, and its meaning is like "ne'akah," i.e., a great noise.
And her garment is rolled up in blood. And each one lies slain, and his garment is rolled up in his blood; or, the garment tasted [the blood], having been rolled up in the blood of the slain whom he had killed, and behold, it was destined for burning. The meaning [of the verse] refers to the death of Sennacherib’s army at the hand of the angel, as if they were being burned (Isaiah 37:36).
Radak
For every tumult is a tumultuous noise. For this war will not be like other wars, for in all other wars the warrior fights with the noise of horses, as it is said of it, “With tumult and thunder he shall consume the earth,” and likewise the noise of spears, as it is said of it, “With the tumult of a spear,” and likewise in all other wars where garments are rolled in blood, for they strike one another with the stroke of the sword and garments are rolled in blood. But in this there will be neither sword nor tumult nor blood, rather it became a consuming fire that the angel struck with at night and they were burned. And there is a dispute among the words of our Sages of blessed memory: some say that the soul was burned and the body remained, and some say that even the body was burned, but not their garments.
“Saon saan.” The nun is part of the root, and its meaning, according to the context, is “warfare,” and we have not found a cognate for it. Thus, *saon* would be an adjective and *soan* a verb, as if it said, “For everyone who wages war fights with tumult,” or perhaps *saon* is a noun for “warfare,” meaning that all wars are fought by man with tumult.
Metzudat David
"For every tumult: Every tumult of the clamor of war, the way is for the clamor to be with great noise, and the garments of the slain are rolled in blood and defiled by it."
"And it came to pass." But the victory of that war was like a fire consumed by fire, for no noise of battle was heard and no blood was seen, for the angel struck them.
Metzudat Zion
Sa'on. Like sha'on with a shin, and it is the clamor of war.
"And a garment." This refers to an outer garment.
M'gulah. From the root of "rolling" and "turning":
Malbim
For every tumult is tumultuous with noise: He clothed His words with a parable and an analogy, saying, “The tumult is tumultuous with noise.” He presented in the imagery of the rhetoric the tumult as an abstract entity, as if it were itself tumultuous and noisy with its own noise. The tenor of the metaphor is that the tumult is tumultuous against many peoples; now it is quiet in the voice of its own uproar, destroying itself through the noise. And “garment” refers to the red garment that they raise as a banner, as a sign that they will shed blood and show no mercy; now it is defiled and stained with the blood it shed, and it became a burning fire that consumes. The fire that consumes became itself a burning; the enemy who fed all burned himself. The rhetoric of the words says: The noise shook itself; the red garment became a banner against itself; the fire that consumes burned itself; death killed itself; the enemy was not ruled by the hand of man, but rather it itself brought about upon itself desolation and destruction by the hand of the Angel of the Lord.
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor Abi-ad-sar-shalom;
verse value 4434
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בֵּ֚ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "is·born·to·us" (יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·a·child" (כִּֽי־יֶ֣לֶד), "is·born·to·us" (יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ), "is·given·to·us" (נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "el" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "and·called" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root פלא ("wonder") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·his·shoulder', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
“For a child is born to us.” Even though Achaz, the wicked, is his father, the child born to him will be for us, after several years, to reign over us as a righteous king. He will be a servant of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the yoke of His service will be upon his shoulders, meaning that he will engage in Torah study and observe the commandments, and he will incline his shoulder to bear the burden of the Holy One, blessed be He.
"And He called his name." The Holy One, blessed be He, who is wondrous in counsel and mighty in strength, and the Father of Eternity, called the name of Hezekiah "Prince of Peace," for peace and truth shall be in his days.
Ibn Ezra
“Ki.” All of this is in the merit of the child who will be born to us, and we knew that when Sennacherib came, Hezekiah was thirty-nine years old; therefore, he was called “child” at the time of the prophet’s prophecy. Some say that “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” are the names of God and the name of the child, Prince of Peace. And the correct view in my eyes is that all of these are the names of the child: “Wonderful,” because God performed a wonder in his days; “Counselor,” for thus was Hezekiah, and he was a counselor to the king (2 Chronicles 30:2); “Mighty God,” because he was strong; “Everlasting Father,” because the dynasty of the House of David was prolonged because of him; and “Everlasting,” like “who dwells forever” (Isaiah 58:15); “Prince of Peace,” because there was peace in his days, and so it is written (2 Chronicles 32:22):
Radak
"When a child is born." This refers to Hezekiah, because in the days of his reign this salvation came to Israel, that the camp of Assyria was struck down, as if it were saying: This will be by the merit of the child who was born to us.
“Ben” – A son has been given to us. A repetition of the same idea expressed in different words:
“And the dominion was upon his shoulder.” Why did he say “his shoulder” in connection with “dominion”? Was it not mentioned regarding “his shoulder” only in connection with labor, as it is written: “And he bowed his shoulder to bear,” and “He shall remove the staff from his shoulder,” and “Remove your burden from your shoulder”? Rather, since Achaz was serving the king of Assyria and used to bear it upon his shoulder, he said: “This child shall not have labor upon his shoulder, but rather dominion.”
"And he called his name." The explanation is that the Holy One, blessed be He, who is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, called the name of this child "Prince of Peace," because the office of prince would be his, and he would not serve another king, as it is stated: "And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him."
Peace. For there will be peace for Israel in his days, and he said: These are the epithets ascribed to God, blessed be He, that allude to matters pertaining to Hezekiah.
A wonder. Regarding the matter of the wonder that the sun returned backward:
“יועץ” (Counselor). For the counsel of the Lord stood firm for him, whereas the counsel of Sennacherib was thwarted.
"Al gibbor" (Mighty God). One might think that this refers to a mighty warrior who, even though Sennacherib came with a great army and mighty men, was able to overcome them, and prevailed, and in a short moment struck down his camp.
"Father of time." This means that He is eternal, and He is the Father of time; He created it, and in His hand it is to add or to subtract. Thus, He added fifteen years to the days of Hezekiah's life.
Metzudat David
"For to us a child is born." All of this is by virtue of the child who is born to us, and this is Hezekiah, in whose days the downfall of Sennacherib occurred.
"And the dominion shall be." "The government shall be upon His shoulder" means that he shall incline his shoulder to bear the yoke of Torah and commandments.
And He called His name Peli-Joetz, etc. This means: The Lord, who is a Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God, the Father of Eternity, shall call the name of the child who is born: Prince of Peace.
Metzudat Zion
The government. From the word "sovereignty" and "rule":
"Father of eternity." – Father of the world.
Malbim
"Ki" – meaning, "And from what cause will this salvation come to us?"
"For a child has been born to us, and a new occurrence and a new constellation have been born to us; and who has brought about this child and this constellation?"
A son has been given to us; a son who is an heir, firmly established on the throne. He is Hezekiah, upon whose shoulders shall rest the burden—not the yoke of Assyria. The measure of the verse is called by his name: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,” He called the name of Hezekiah “Prince of Peace,” to indicate that his office would not be maintained through wars, but rather through peace. (And the three attributes by which He describes the Lord here are to indicate that His promise will be fulfilled and will not change in any way, for a human promise may change for three reasons: first, that the thought and will of the one making the promise may change, and he may alter his prior counsel; but this cannot be conceived of with regard to the Lord, for He is a Wonderful Counselor, and His counsel does not change. Second, due to a lack of power, such that he is unable to fulfill his promise; but the Lord is a Mighty God, possessing absolute power. Third, because he may die the next day, and his promise dies with him; but the Lord is the Everlasting Father, the Father of eternity, who exists forever. And according to these three conditions found in the Lord—namely, wisdom, power, and eternity, which are the conditions for the fulfillment of a promise—His word will stand, meaning that the Lord’s promise will not change. And since He called his name “Prince of Peace,” His word will not return empty.) And why did He call his name “Prince of Peace”? I say that:
That the government may be increased, and of peace there be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it through justice and through righteousness From henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Hashem of hosts does perform this.
verse value 6938
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·them" ((לם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·his·kingdom" (וְעַל־מַמְלַכְתּ֔וֹ, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·them" ((לם), "for·increase·of" (לְמַרְבֵּ֨ה), "and·of·peace" (וּלְשָׁל֣וֹם). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "will·do·this" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "nothing·end" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שלום ("and·of·peace") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root עולם ("and·unto·everlasting") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·righteousness', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
"To him who increases the dominion." To whom shall the Name be called? To the king who increases the dominion of the Holy One, blessed be He, upon himself, so as to fear Him.
“Mashar.” The term denotes dominion, which is subject to the interpretations of others. However, it can be said that “Sar Shalom” (Prince of Peace) is one of the names of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and the invocation of this name is not in the sense of a proper name, but rather in the sense of greatness and dominion, just as in “He called his name in Bethlehem” and “I will make for you a name.” So too here, “He called his name” and “He gave him a name” implies dominion and authority.
And as for "peace," it is given to him without end, for he had peace from all his sides. And "without end" does not mean a permanent cessation, but rather that there is no end to his surroundings. "On the throne of the kingdom of David shall be peace"—this refers to the judgment and righteousness that Hezekiah performed.
And for peace. This vav is a correction of the word; it is abundant in bestowing upon his shoulder, and what recompense shall be paid to him? Behold, for his peace there is no end and no limit.
“From this time forth and forever.” This refers to the world of Hezekiah, i.e., his entire lifetime. And similarly, we find that Hannah said regarding Samuel, “He shall dwell there forever.” And to those who offer an alternative explanation, saying that “forever” is a proper name, we may respond to them: What is the meaning of “from this time forth”? Did it not come to pass only at the end of three hundred years?
"The zeal of the Lord of Hosts"—that He was jealous for Zion because Aram and Pekah plotted against it.
“Make this.” And Ahaz was not fit for this, even the merit of the fathers ceases. (An addition:) And our Sages said that the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to make Hezekiah the Messiah and Sennacherib Gog and Magog. The ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “He who cut down the gates of the Temple and sent them to the king of Assyria—shall he be made Messiah?” Immediately Scripture closed it [the mem of “le-marbeh”].
Ibn Ezra
Regarding "to increase" (lemerbeh): The method of interpretation of the Scribes is that the mem is closed within the word, and it ought to have been at the end; this alludes to the letter of the sun, which caused the shadow to return backward. It is possible that "merbeh" is a noun, like "ma'aseh" (deed), or a verb from the heavy binyan (pi'el) with an additional letter.
In the judgment. And so it is written [there]:
Radak
“Lemarbeh ha-mashar” (To him who increases the burden). The mem in the written text is closed (closed mem), and it is read with an open mem (mem petucha), and the reverse is true in the book of Ezra: the mems are open, with an open mem at the end of the word in the written text. And there is a homiletical derivation from this: “When the walls of Jerusalem are sealed” (i.e., when they are closed up)—for they are breached (open) throughout the period of exile, and at the time of salvation the breaches will be sealed, and then the “mashar” (burden/portion), which is currently closed (sealed), will be opened, until the coming of the Messiah.
"למרבה" – this is a noun, and since it is adjacent [to the preceding word], it is therefore pointed with a tsere-yod. [The verse] says, "To the increase of dominion and to peace without end," that he shall be upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom. This is a duplication of the idea expressed in different words.
And to support it: so that his kingdom and his service shall not falter from now and forevermore; and even though there will be an interruption during the days of the exile, it will yet return to its former state. And He said “with justice and righteousness,” for by them the throne shall be established and the monarchy shall arise.
“The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this.” This refers to the position that will now be established for the House of David, and the great salvation, because the Lord of Hosts will be zealous over the words of the young men of the king of Assyria, who blasphemed and reviled the Lord, blessed be He.
Metzudat David
"למרבה המשרה" means: The Name, "Prince of Peace," alludes to the abundance of governance and the abundance of peace, without end.
“Upon the throne of David.” The majority of governance and peace will be upon the throne of David, meaning, upon the king who sits on the throne.
And concerning His kingdom. Also concerning the people of His kingdom, the majority of governance and peace shall be:
"To prepare it." That is, to remain standing in its place and upon its base; and the pronoun refers to both the throne and the congregation.
And to support it: so that it should not fall.
"In judgment and in righteousness." This means: If they are not worthy of this solely on the basis of judgment, because the merit is not so great, nevertheless, he will also perform righteousness.
"From now and unto eternity." All the days of Hezekiah:
"The jealousy of the Lord." All this righteousness He will perform because He is jealous over what Sennacherib blasphemed against the Almighty.
Metzudat Zion
And for leaning. The matter of the leaning:
Malbim
“Lemirbeh” (To increase): so that there shall be no end or limit to the abundance of dominion and to the abundance of peace. This is contrary to the usual custom, for with an abundance of dominion it is impossible for there to be an abundance of peace, because the jealousy of the jealous will rise up against it. And the words “the doors” restrict the meaning: “To the abundance of dominion” refers to the throne of David, and “to the abundance of peace” refers to his kingdom. That is to say, upon the throne of David there will be an abundance of dominion, meaning he will exercise great rule; and upon his kingdom and his state there will be an abundance of peace, meaning the sword will not pass through his land to prepare it. Here too, the words “the doors” restrict the meaning: “to prepare it” refers to preparing it through justice from now on, and “to support it” refers to supporting it through righteousness forever. For the fundamental basis upon which the throne is established and which prepares it at its beginning is for the sake of justice, so that the king will execute justice between one person and another. For were it not for the awe of the monarchy, each man would devour his fellow alive. And this preparation is “from now on.” But by what will they support the throne so that it endures? This will be through righteousness, which is the righteousness of deeds between man and the Divine, as it is written: “And he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah... that he may prolong his days in his kingdom.” And this support is “forever.” And even though Israel are not worthy of these miracles, behold, the zeal of the Lord will accomplish this for the sake of His great Name.
The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it has lighted upon Israel.
verse value 1502
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "a·word" (דָּבָ֛ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Israel" (בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "a·word" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah); "my·lord" (root אדון, 64x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: דָּבָ֛ר [a·word] (206) + שָׁלַ֥ח [sent] (338) + אֲדֹנָ֖י [my·lord] (65) + בְּיַעֲקֹ֑ב [in·Jacob] (184) + וְנָפַ֖ל [and·will·fall] (166) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל [in·Israel] (543) = 1502.
Rashi
A matter that the Lord sent concerning Jacob. The prophecy that he prophesied concerning the calamity of Pekach ben Remalyah:
"And it shall fall upon Israel." From then on, the following will be fulfilled in their regard:
Ibn Ezra
Matter. A matter of prophecy or a decree:
And he fell. The accentuation is double, as is the rule:
Radak
The matter of sending. This evil that comes upon Jacob, that their enemies rule over them, is from God, so that they will not say it is a chance occurrence, but rather that it comes upon them as a punishment for their sins. For before the coming of the evil, He sent through His prophets, saying, "Such and such will come upon you if you do not return." And just as He sent the matter upon them, so it fell upon them. And so they will fall until they are exiled from their land, as the prophets said to them from His mouth.
Metzudat David
“Speak, etc.” This refers to the kingdom of Ephraim: “Know that the calamity that came upon them was not by chance, for this matter was sent by God through the earlier prophets to prophesy against them.” And so it was, as it fell and was fulfilled, for some of them had already gone into exile.
Malbim
“Dabar” (He turned His face toward the Ten Tribes, to prophesy specifically concerning the evil that was to befall them): The ancient peoples believed in a matter called “oracle,” which is a saying that spreads among the masses, who considered that this saying had reached them in the form of a decree or command from Heaven. Such an oracle usually arises among the masses, and from them it reaches the ears of the leaders, and from there it spreads throughout the entire nation. Accordingly, the commentator depicts that this saying, “The white stones have fallen” (verse 9), was regarded by them as if it were a matter sent by God to them from Heaven. This matter began with Jacob, who represent the masses, and from there it fell and spread among Israel, who represent the leaders, until...
And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in pride and in arrogancy of heart:
verse value 1885
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 1885 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·shall·know" (וְיָֽדְעוּ֙, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·dwelling" (וְיוֹשֵׁ֣ב), "with·pride" (בְּגַאֲוָ֛ה), "and·in·greatness·of" (וּבְגֹ֥דֶל). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "the·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "his·them" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גאוה ("with·pride") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samaria', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְיָֽדְעוּ֙ [and·they·shall·know] (96) + הָעָ֣ם [the·people] (115) + כֻּלּ֔וֹ [his·them] (56) + אֶפְרַ֖יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וְיוֹשֵׁ֣ב [and·dwelling] (324) + שֹׁמְר֑וֹן [Samaria] (596) + בְּגַאֲוָ֛ה [with·pride] (17) + וּבְגֹ֥דֶל [and·in·greatness·of] (45) + לֵבָ֖ב [heart] (34) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1885.
Rashi
“With pride and with a haughty heart, saying.” What they were saying with pride and with a haughty heart:
Ibn Ezra
And they shall know, Ephraim. They are the Ten Tribes:
Radak
And they shall know. And then this people will know that I spoke the truth to them, for they were saying at the beginning of the calamity that came upon them, “Bricks have fallen, but we will build with hewn stone,” and they were not setting their hearts to the fact that the evil had now come upon them because of their sins; rather, they were saying, “If evil has now come, good will yet come double.” And when the word of the Lord falls upon them, they will be broken and exiled from their land; then they will know that the words they were saying in arrogance and haughtiness of heart were but vanity, for then their arrogance and haughtiness of heart will be ended.
Metzudat David
And they shall know. All the people remaining shall know that this is not the manner of their words which they shall speak with arrogance and with a haughty heart; and it is a short verse, and its meaning is self-evident.
Malbim
And all the people knew him: it was a saying on the lips of the entire populace, both in Ephraim, which is the district, and among the inhabitants of Samaria, the royal city. And not only did they utter this statement in arrogance, to boast, but also with a haughty heart, their mind relying on this statement, saying: “And this is the meaning of the statement.”
‘The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but cedars will we put in their place.’
verse value 1846
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 1846 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "have·fallen" (נָפָ֖לוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·cedars" (וַאֲרָזִ֖ים, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "have·fallen" (נָפָ֖לוּ), "and·hewn·stone" (וְגָזִ֣ית), "we·will·build" (נִבְנֶ֑ה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "have·fallen" (root נפל, 24x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root לבנה ("bricks") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root גדע ("they·were·cut") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·will·build', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: לְבֵנִ֥ים [bricks] (132) + נָפָ֖לוּ [have·fallen] (166) + וְגָזִ֣ית [and·hewn·stone] (426) + נִבְנֶ֑ה [we·will·build] (107) + שִׁקְמִ֣ים [sycamore·tree] (490) + גֻּדָּ֔עוּ [they·were·cut] (83) + וַאֲרָזִ֖ים [and·cedars] (264) + נַחֲלִֽיף [we·will·replace] (178) = 1846.
Rashi
“Bricks were crumbled, but hewn stones were built.” The kings who preceded Pekah, such as Jehoahaz son of Jehu, in whose days the people were diminished, as it is stated (2 Kings 13:7), “For the king of Aram afflicted them,”—they were weak, and they went their way like a building of crumbling bricks that collapses. But this one, who is now strong, is like a building of hewn stones; and so too, good cedars are superior to terebinths for building.
Ibn Ezra
“Bricks.” By way of a parable: If Assyria has done evil to us, we shall yet return as in our former days, and be better than we were.
Sikmin. Like bad figs:
Radak
“Bricks have fallen.” By way of parable, as the Targum renders it: “Their heads were exiled, etc.”
Metzudat David
"Bricks have fallen." What is the significance of this? Although the building of bricks has fallen, will it not be rebuilt in their stead with hewn stones? That is to say: if the enemy has exiled only a portion, behold, now [the nation] has become strengthened even more, for they think that this came about by chance and that it will not endure. "The sycamores have been cut down." If the sycamores have been cut down, we shall replace them with cedars, which are superior to them. And the repetition of the speech is as stated in the following verse:
Metzudat Zion
And hewn stones. Stones that are hewn and squared with great precision:
Sikmin. A species of tree, the fig; and likewise, “and a dresser of sycamores” (Amos 7:14).
They were cut off. They were severed, as it is stated: “And their Asherim shall you cut down” (Deuteronomy 7:5).
Malbim
“Bricks have fallen,” they said, “What do we have to fear regarding what has fallen, namely Rezin, by the hand of the King of Assyria? Surely now we will choose other helpers who will be stronger than Aram. And we will be like one whose house, which was built of bricks, has fallen, and who builds in its place a house of hewn stone, which is stronger.” “Poplars are cut down”—they add to their words, that there is yet another advantage for them in this over the first parable, that of one who builds with hewn stone in place of bricks. For in that case, one would at least grieve over the loss of the house that fell and the increased expenses one must incur for the hewn stone. But we will not grieve at all over the destruction of Rezin. Rather, we will be like the second parable, of one who has a forest of sycamores, which are inferior trees, and whose owner cuts them down himself in order to plant cedars in their place. In this case, he would certainly rejoice if they were cut down by others. So too, we will even rejoice over the downfall of Rezin, who was a weak helper, in whose place we will make a covenant with cedars and mighty men. (And both parables indicate arrogance and haughtiness: the parable of “Bricks have fallen” they said in arrogance, and the parable of “Poplars are cut down” they said in haughtiness, for it truly seemed to them that it was for their benefit.)
Therefore Hashem does set upon high the adversaries of Rezin against him, and spur his enemies;
verse value 2120
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·his·enemies" (וְאֶת־אֹיְבָ֖יו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·sets·on·high" (וַיְשַׂגֵּ֧ב), "the·adversaries·of" (אֶת־צָרֵ֥י), "and·his·enemies" (וְאֶת־אֹיְבָ֖יו). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "against·him" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְשַׂגֵּ֧ב [and·sets·on·high] (321) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־צָרֵ֥י [the·adversaries·of] (701) + רְצִ֖ין [Rezin] (350) + עָלָ֑יו [against·him] (116) + וְאֶת־אֹיְבָ֖יו [and·his·enemies] (436) + יְסַכְסֵֽךְ [he·stirs·up] (170) = 2120.
Rashi
"And the Lord will exalt the enemies of Rezin over him." They rely on their alliance with Rezin, king of Aram, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will exalt the king of Assyria over him and create strife among them, to incite him to come against him. This is what I have heard. And I say: "his enemies" refers to the Divine Presence. He says that the Holy One, blessed be He, will create strife among his enemies, each against the other: nation against nation—Aram and the Philistines against Israel—and Israel against each other, as it is stated below concerning Manasseh: "He struck Ephraim, etc."
Ibn Ezra
And He shall exalt. The adversaries of Rezin. They are the Assyrians.
"His enemies." This refers back to the Name [of God], and they are Aram or Israel.
Radak
And He shall exalt: the adversaries of Ratzin. The king of Assyria and his army captured Damascus and killed Ratzin, and said: “This is because Ephraim was allied with them, and both were fighting against Judah.” He said: “For one shall not help the other, for God will exalt and strengthen the enemies of Ratzin against him.”
"And He shall confuse his enemies." He will cause confusion among them in their land, so that they will come to capture it.
Metzudat David
And he shall exalt. It is as if to say: behold, they did not rely upon themselves, but rather upon Rezin; and know that the Lord will exalt and strengthen the enemies of Rezin against him; and therefore, the helper has stumbled and the helped has fallen.
"And You will confuse his enemies." And by this, He confuses the minds of his enemies, who are the wicked of Israel.
Metzudat Zion
יסכסך. The meaning is confusion; and similarly, “I will confound Egypt” (below 19:2).
Malbim
"And He will exalt" — the prophet answers them: Indeed, it is true that the bricks will fall and the sycamores will be cut down, for the Lord will exalt the enemies of Rezin against him; and through this, the weak support that you had from Ratzin will fall and be cut off. And "He will confuse his enemies" — this refers to the manner of warfare in which the mighty warriors stand in the midst, fighting and prevailing, while those who are not so mighty stand around them, forming a covering like a fence or a wall, so as not to allow the defeated enemy a hand to escape. And through this, the prophet depicted that the enemies of Ratzin, who are actively besieging him, will prevail over him in battle, along with his enemies (for "the enemy" is one who seeks evil but is not actively besieging).
He will entangle and hem him in on every side, so that he will not be able to escape; for the enemies will surround him so that he cannot flee, and the besiegers will slay him with the sword. However, although the first half of the saying that is customary on your lips, namely, “They have fallen for the sons, the cedars have been cut down,” will be fulfilled and will come to pass, nevertheless the second half of the saying, “And hewn stone we will build, and cedars we will exchange,” will not be fulfilled, for you will not find new helpers. For after the defeat of Rezin, then:
The Arameans on the east, and the Philistines on the west; and they devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.
verse value 3764
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "and·still" (וְע֖וֹד) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "Aram" (אֲרָ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Philistines" (וּפְלִשְׁתִּים֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·the·Philistines" (וּפְלִשְׁתִּים֙), "from·backward" (מֵאָח֔וֹר), "and·they·devoured" (וַיֹּאכְל֥וּ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·all·mouth" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "his·hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah); "and·they·devoured" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·all·mouth', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֲרָ֣ם [Aram] (241) + מִקֶּ֗דֶם [on·the·east] (184) + וּפְלִשְׁתִּים֙ [and·the·Philistines] (866) + מֵאָח֔וֹר [from·backward] (255) + וַיֹּאכְל֥וּ [and·they·devoured] (73) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (942) + בְּכׇל־פֶּ֑ה [in·all·mouth] (137) + בְּכׇל־זֹאת֙ [in·all·this] (460) + לֹא־שָׁ֣ב [not·turned] (333) + אַפּ֔וֹ [his·anger] (87) + וְע֖וֹד [and·still] (86) + יָד֥וֹ [his·hand] (20) + נְטוּיָֽה [outstretched] (80) = 3764.
Rashi
"Aram of the east": Aram did them harm from the east in the days of Jehoahaz and Joash, and the Philistines did them harm from behind, for the Philistines were to their west.
Nevertheless, etc. And furthermore, His hand is extended until He brings Sennacherib upon them; this is a different matter: Aram from the east and the Philistines from behind were ravaging Judah in the days of Ahaz, as is explicitly stated (in II Chronicles 25), and Isaiah would lament over these troubles befalling Israel and Judah.
Ibn Ezra
And behold, Aram, which is to the east of Israel, will return to do evil to Israel together with the kings of Assyria.
From behind. That is, they are in the west of the Land of Israel.
Radak
Aram of the East. For before the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Aram had been waging war against Israel very fiercely, as it is stated, “And they made them like dust under their feet” (2 Kings 15:29). Aram was to the east of the Land of Israel, and the Philistines were to the west; both of these nations were fighting against them and devouring them from every side.
Nevertheless, His anger did not turn back. That is to say, they did not return, so that the Almighty would turn back from His fierce anger; moreover, the hand of the Almighty remained extended over them to destroy them, since they had not returned, as it is stated:
Metzudat David
"Aram of the East." This indicates that even from the time of Jehoahaz, Aram, which dwells in the east of the Land of Israel, had done them harm, and also the Philistines, who dwell in the west, had done them harm.
"In every mouth" – meaning, they filled all their desires with them.
Nevertheless. In all the calamities that have already come, the anger of the Lord has not turned away from Israel, and His hand is still extended to strike them further.
Malbim
"Aram from the east" — even Aram itself, which until now has been your ally, will come upon you from the eastern side; and the Philistines will come upon you from behind, from the western side, and they will devour you from every direction. And despite all this, the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from you. He explains the reason, for:
Yet the people turns not to Him that smites them, neither do they seek Hashem of hosts.
verse value 2077
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "unto·him·that·smites·him" (עַד־הַמַּכֵּ֑הוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·the·people" (וְהָעָ֥ם), "unto·him·that·smites·him" (עַד־הַמַּכֵּ֑הוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·the·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·him·that·smites·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָעָ֥ם [and·the·people] (121) + לֹא־שָׁ֖ב [not·turned·back] (333) + עַד־הַמַּכֵּ֑הוּ [unto·him·that·smites·him] (150) + וְאֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה [and·Hashem] (433) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + דָרָֽשׁוּ [sought] (510) = 2077.
Rashi
"Until the one who strikes him." Until the Holy One, blessed be He, who brings upon him these punishments.
Ibn Ezra
And the people. Refers to Israel:
"the one who strikes him" – this refers to the Divine Name, which is truly the One who strikes. Two indications are brought forth, as in the verse "within my tent" (Joshua 7:21):
Radak
“And the people did not return to Him who struck them.” They did not reflect that it is God who strikes them for their sins, and they did not return to Him, nor did they seek Him.
Metzudat David
They did not return. They did not perform repentance that reaches before the Lord, Who struck them, for they attribute everything to chance and do not seek the Lord.
Malbim
And the people did not return until He struck them, for they always turn back to seek help from the nations that strike them. Yet these nations are not truly the ones striking them, for they are but like a rod in the hand of the Lord. Why did they not return to the true Striker? And who is it that strikes them? He says, "And to the Lord of Hosts," for He is the One who strikes them through the nations. Why did they not seek Him? And therefore:
Therefore Hashem does cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day.
verse value 2089
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "head" (רֹ֧אשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·Israel" (מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·he·cut·off" (וַיַּכְרֵ֨ת), "from·Israel" (מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֗ל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "from·Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). Full calculation: וַיַּכְרֵ֨ת [and·he·cut·off] (636) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֗ל [from·Israel] (581) + רֹ֧אשׁ [head] (501) + וְזָנָ֛ב [and·tail] (65) + כִּפָּ֥ה [palm] (105) + וְאַגְמ֖וֹן [and·rush] (106) + י֥וֹם [day] (56) + אֶחָֽד [one] (13) = 2089.
Rashi
Kefah and Agmon. The language of kings and rulers:
Kafah. "Arquiver" in the foreign tongue, meaning those that overlap upon one another like this dome.
And "agmon." And it too is a small dome, and because it is bent like an agmon, it is called an agmon. And in the baraita of Shmuel, we find that there are constellations in the firmament that are appointed, and these are their names. And here the prophet said that all their wise men who prophesy to them and the diviners who observe the stars regarding what is to befall them—God will destroy them from among them.
Ibn Ezra
"And He cut off..." The reason is that the people did not return, because there was no one to guide them in the straight path.
Kaf-peh-heh is the root; and likewise, "his branch (kippato) shall not be green" (Job 15:32):
And Agmon. Like “they shall bow down like a bulrush” (Isaiah 58:5), and it is a known and familiar plant:
Radak
"And He cut off," [meaning] a branch and a reed. "The strong and the weak": a branch is a branch of a tree, as it is written, "And its branch is not fresh" (Isaiah 44:4); and agmon is the rush that grows in water.
One day. It is the same day on which the tribes were exiled:
Metzudat David
"And the Lord cut." Therefore, He will cut off everything in one day, both the exalted and the lowly.
"Palm branch and bulrush." The princes, who are similar to a beautiful branch; and the matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
"Head." This means the prominent one.
"And its tail." This means the lowest part.
כפה. Thus is the branch called, as it is said: “And its branch was not fresh” (Job 15:32), because it is bent.
"U'gamon." It is the reed that grows in water.
Malbim
"And He shall cut off the head and the tail" – these are their leaders, as will be explained in the subsequent verse. He shall cut them off because they did not teach the people to walk in the good way. He shall also cut off the branch and the reed – the strong branch and the weak reed – which is an allegory for the mighty and the weak, for the people too are guilty in this matter, as will be elucidated in verses 15 and 16.
The elder and the man of rank, he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.
verse value 2214
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 2214 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "old" (זָקֵ֥ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·lifted·of·faces" (וּנְשֽׂוּא־פָנִ֖ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 12: he, he. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "old" (זָקֵ֥ן), "and·lifted·of·faces" (וּנְשֽׂוּא־פָנִ֖ים), "head" (הָרֹ֑אשׁ). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah); "and·lifted·of·faces" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "head" (root ראש, 28x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'head', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: זָקֵ֥ן [old] (157) + וּנְשֽׂוּא־פָנִ֖ים [and·lifted·of·faces] (543) + ה֣וּא [he] (12) + הָרֹ֑אשׁ [head] (506) + וְנָבִ֥יא [and·prophet] (69) + מֽוֹרֶה־שֶּׁ֖קֶר [teaching·falsehood] (851) + ה֥וּא [he] (12) + הַזָּנָֽב [tail] (64) = 2214.
Ibn Ezra
An elder. And indeed, he explained that the head is an allegory for an elder, and likewise the crown, the tail, and the bulrush are allegories for the false prophet.
Radak
Zaken. It is the tail, for the false prophets were from the small people of the nation, and in order to find favor in the eyes of the great ones, they would prophesy good things to them and promise them falsely, so that they would give them bread or wine, as it is written: "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink, and he shall be a preacher to this people."
Metzudat David
"And he who bears faces" – one whom all show deference, due to his great importance.
"Teacher." One who teaches to do falsehood:
It is the tail. It is the lowly part of the people:
Metzudat Zion
Morah. This teaches that it is like the verse “To whom shall he teach knowledge?” (below, 28a).
Malbim
An elder begins to explain who is the head and who is the tail, and he says that the elder, in wisdom and in years, and the one who is respected on account of his important qualities, is the head, and the false prophet is the tail. And his meaning is that a living creature, when it goes forward, follows the head, but when it goes backward, it follows the tail. So too, when Israel goes forward before them along the ways of the Lord, they follow the head, and they appoint for themselves a leader who is an elder and respected. But when they go backward and not forward, and they stray from the ways of the Lord, they appoint for themselves a leader who is a prophet teaching falsehood, and they follow the tail.
For they that lead this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
verse value 2035
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·they·were" (וַיִּֽהְי֛וּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·those·led·by·him" (וּמְאֻשָּׁרָ֖יו, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "leaders·of" (מְאַשְּׁרֵ֥י), "and·those·led·by·him" (וּמְאֻשָּׁרָ֖יו), "swallowed·down" (מְבֻלָּעִֽים). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·were" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "leaders·of" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "this·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'misleaders', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְי֛וּ [and·they·were] (37) + מְאַשְּׁרֵ֥י [leaders·of] (551) + הָֽעָם־הַזֶּ֖ה [this·people] (132) + מַתְעִ֑ים [misleaders] (560) + וּמְאֻשָּׁרָ֖יו [and·those·led·by·him] (563) + מְבֻלָּעִֽים [swallowed·down] (192) = 2035.
Rashi
“Happy are they.” “Those who guide me,” like “I have kept my foot in the path” (Job 23:11); and “happy are they” because they learned the ways from the ways of the erring. Another version reads:
And those who are led by them are swallowed up. Those who tread the path of the deceivers, who flatter them in these ways—ways that are hidden and perplexing, from which there is no exit to emerge—and the term "swallowed up" applies to the path, as it is stated in another place: "My people, those who guide you cause you to err, and swallow up the way of your paths" (above 3:12).
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall be..." The aleph of "me'ashrei" stands in place of a yod. The reverse of this is "tityammeru" [for tit'ammeru] (Isaiah 61:6). Likewise, the aleph of the word "ve-ma'asharav" is written in this manner.
Radak
"And they were." Those who were worthy to straighten them and guide them on the good path, those were leading them astray, and in their eyes they were approving them. Therefore, "and from his blessed ones were absorbed." That is, they were considered blessed in their eyes when they were teaching them the evil way; they were absorbed and corrupted by their evil counsel.
Metzudat David
“Those who guide the people” — they are misleading them, causing them to walk on a path that is not straight.
And as for those praised among them: those who were considered upright in the eyes of the people, they were corrupted.
Metzudat Zion
"As for those who are blessed" (Ashrei): "My guides" (madrichai) is like the phrase "And do not approve of the way of the wicked" (ve'al te'asher b'derekh ra'im) (Proverbs 4:14).
"Deceiving." The term is derived from the root meaning "to err" or "to stray."
“u-m’o-sha-ra-v” – like “u-mi-yash-ra-v”; the aleph comes in place of the yod. And similarly, “a-shru chamutz” (above, 1).
"Mevulaim. The matter of corruption is like 'the Lord has swallowed' (Lamentations 3):"
Malbim
"And they shall be" – now he explains the reason why the Kaph and the Agmon, which are the people themselves, are cut off. He says that although it is true that from among the leaders of this people there were those who led them astray from the path, and therefore the decree of excision was pronounced upon the head and the tail, nevertheless, its guided ones too — the people who were led by them — were also corrupted of themselves.
Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall He have compassion on their fatherless and widows; For every one is ungodly and an evil-doer, And every mouth speaks wantonness. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.
verse value 5108
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 96 letters. Notable word values: "and·still" (וְע֖וֹד) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·widows" (וְאֶת־אַלְמְנוֹתָיו֙, 11 letters). Words sharing gematria 87: senselessness, his·anger. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "over·his·young·men" (עַל־בַּחוּרָ֜יו), "not·will·rejoice" (לֹא־יִשְׂמַ֣ח), "and·his·fatherless" (וְאֶת־יְתֹמָ֤יו). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root בחור ("over·his·young·men") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root רחם ("he·pities") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'senselessness', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
And "merah." [This means] "wicked," just as in the phrase "zera meraim" (above, 1:4).
Ibn Ezra
“Therefore.” “The Lord shall rejoice,” in the manner of human language, for when the things that are done are good, their doers rejoice.
Chanef. He is outwardly good and inwardly evil.
Radak
Therefore, He shall not rejoice. On the contrary, [it says], “I will dwell in Jerusalem, and I will rejoice in My people,” for when a person follows the evil path and evil comes to him because of this, behold, God, so to speak, grieves, as it is written, “And God was grieved in His heart.” And when a person follows the good path and good comes to him because of this, behold, God, so to speak, rejoices, as it is stated, “And I will rejoice in My people,” and as it is said, “The Lord shall rejoice in His works.” And regarding His young men, since they are the majority who follow their eyes, their strength and power will not save them from the evil that comes upon them; therefore, the Lord shall not rejoice in them, for they do not fulfill His will.
"And He will have no mercy on its orphans and its widows." Even the orphans and widows who are deserving of compassion and mercy, God will not have mercy on them.
For all are a flatterer and a wrongdoer. Whether great ones or small ones, whether strong ones or weak ones.
Nevertheless, when a great calamity came upon them and they found no mercy, they did not return; therefore, His anger did not turn away from them, and moreover, His hand remains extended against them to bring harm even in exile.
Metzudat David
He shall not rejoice. For when a person sins and punishment comes upon him, there is no joy before the Omnipresent.
"He is entirely a hypocrite." They all flatter the wicked:
And further, “His hand is stretched out.” To strike them even more.
Metzudat Zion
And "merah." [This means] he makes him wicked:
Nevilah: A despicable thing.
"נטויה" – the word is derived from the root meaning "inclination" (הטיה).
Malbim
Thus, not only will He cut off their nobles and leaders, but even regarding His youths and mighty men, the Lord will not rejoice in their might, for He will crush them. This is likened to the verse “and He will not spare their young men,” which is likened to the commander. (And since the king would refrain from cutting off his mighty men because they bring him joy through their might, and would refrain from cutting off the weak, such as orphans and widows, out of compassion, therefore it is stated that He will not rejoice in His youths and will not spare His orphans.)
"Yet all of them are flatterers": In their outward appearance they are hypocrites, for they are worshipers of God, but their hearts are not with Him; for this is the meaning of flattery. And worse than this, and more grievous, is that they do evil in deed. And worse than this is that "every mouth speaks folly," and they are not ashamed to proclaim their wickedness openly. And therefore, "even so the anger of the Lord has not turned away."
For wickedness burns as the fire; it devours the briers and thorns; indeed, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, And they roll upward in thick clouds of smoke.
verse value 5470
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "as·the·fire" (כָאֵשׁ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·rolled·upward" (וַיִּֽתְאַבְּכ֖וּ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·it·burns" (כִּֽי־בָעֲרָ֤ה), "wickedness" (רִשְׁעָ֔ה), "will·eat" (תֹּאכֵ֑ל). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·eat" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah); "as·the·fire" (root אש, 27x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גאות ("majesty") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·eat', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־בָעֲרָ֤ה [for·it·burns] (307) + כָאֵשׁ֙ [as·the·fire] (321) + רִשְׁעָ֔ה [wickedness] (575) + שָׁמִ֥יר [thorns] (550) + וָשַׁ֖יִת [and·thorn bushes] (716) + תֹּאכֵ֑ל [will·eat] (451) + וַתִּצַּת֙ [and·kindled] (896) + בְּסִֽבְכֵ֣י [in·thickets·of] (94) + הַיַּ֔עַר [forest] (285) + וַיִּֽתְאַבְּכ֖וּ [and·they·rolled·upward] (445) + גֵּא֥וּת [majesty] (410) + עָשָֽׁן [smoke] (420) = 5470.
Rashi
"For wickedness burns like fire." Their wickedness will burn within them and consume them like fire.
Shamir and Shit. Their [fruits] shall be eaten by the rebels and transgressors among them:
“And you shall go out in the tangles of the forest.” In the language of the people, “tangles of branches” refers to the dense, intertwined twigs of the forest.
“And the proud shall be ashamed of smoke.” They shall be confounded and enclosed within the thick smoke of the burning. And “they shall be ashamed”—every form of the word “ashamed” has its root in the letters bet-kaf, as in “rivers of weeping” (Job 28:11) and “Valley of Weeping” (Psalms 84:6). And the nun comes to it at times, and here the aleph comes in place of the nun, like the aleph of “the edge of the sword” (Ezekiel 21:20) and the aleph of “my ears have heard” (Job 13:1).
Ibn Ezra
"For, etc." What is the wicked one like? He is like a fire that will consume the kindling; and "the destroyer" and "the devastator" are the wicked ones.
And they billowed. A foreign word, like "they exalted themselves."
Radak
"For it burned like an evil fire." The evil that they committed burned in them like fire, and the way of fire is that it begins to burn in thorns and thin wood first, as it is said, "and it finds thorns," and afterward it burns in the large trees. So too, their evil will consume them: it will begin with the small ones, who are the thorns, and afterward, "and it will leap into the thickets of the forest," who are the great ones.
And they billowed [like smoke]. According to its context, [the parallel verse reads]: "And they boasted."
"Pride of smoke." It is missing a kaf, resembling "the pride of smoke"; and similarly, "a cheerful heart" is written as "yitav" (will improve) resembling "gehah" (healing), because since He compared their wickedness to a burning fire, He said that they will be proud, meaning their smoke will rise in pride like the rising of smoke; that is to say, they will become renowned for their evil deeds, so that all the nations will know of the Lord, for there is one who sees the smoke but does not see the fire; so too, those distant from them will know of their evil deeds.
Metzudat David
"Because it has burned up." The evil that they do will burn up like fire, and initially it will consume the lesser members of the people, and afterwards the greater ones among them. This means that the sin itself will bring a complaint against them and exact retribution from them.
And it billowed. Because of the intensity of the conflagration, the proud smoke will rise, as it is carried upward, upward; that is to say, the calamity will increase greatly.
Metzudat Zion
Shamir and shet. Species of thorns:
And it burned. The word is from the root of "kindling" and "burning."
“in the tangles of the forest.” The branches are intertwined and cling to one another, like tangled thorns (Nahum 1:10):
And they rose up. It is a matter of exaltation, and it has no parallel.
Ge'ut. From the root of ga'avah (pride):
Malbim
“Ki va’erah” — it compares wickedness to a consuming fire, and the nation to a forest growing trees. It is known that when a forest becomes subject to burning, the fire begins with the dry thorns that passersby ignite; from them, the tangled thickets of the trees and the branches catch fire. Nevertheless, the fire does not dominate the trunks of the trees, for their branches serve as fuel for the fire, but the trunks themselves do not burn; rather, they become blackened by the smoke so that they no longer grow. However, if there is a storm and a great wind, such that after the fire and flames rise to the shoots at the tops of the trees, the wind drives the fire downward through the smoke that is blocked and choked below by the wind, then the fire will dominate a second time even the trunks of the trees. This is the image that the prophet now depicts in the spirit of prophecy, portraying the burning of the forest, which is the nation: wickedness was like fire, and it consumed the wormwood, the broom, and the thorns (an allegory for the great wicked ones), and from there it spread to the tangled thickets of the forest (an allegory for the intermediate ones), until they were filled with smoke, and afterwards:
Through the wrath of Hashem of hosts is the land burnt up; the people also are as the fuel of fire; No man spares his brother.
verse value 3500
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3500 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "fire" (אֵ֔שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·fuel·of" (כְּמַאֲכֹ֣לֶת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·was, not. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "is·scorched" (נֶעְתַּ֣ם), "as·fuel·of" (כְּמַאֲכֹ֣לֶת), "to·his·brother" (אֶל־אָחִ֖יו). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·it·was" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עברה ("in·the·overflow·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'land', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: בְּעֶבְרַ֛ת [in·the·overflow·of] (674) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + נֶעְתַּ֣ם [is·scorched] (560) + אָ֑רֶץ [land] (291) + וַיְהִ֤י [and·it·was] (31) + הָעָם֙ [the·people] (115) + כְּמַאֲכֹ֣לֶת [as·fuel·of] (511) + אֵ֔שׁ [fire] (301) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶל־אָחִ֖יו [to·his·brother] (56) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יַחְמֹֽלוּ [they·spare] (94) = 3500.
Rashi
“N’atem eretz.” Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it as “the land was scorched,” but this interpretation is difficult in my eyes, for he should have said “the land was consumed.” Since there is no parallel in Scripture—neither in the language of the Targum nor in any other language—I interpret it according to its context: In the wrath of the Holy One, blessed be He, this smoke descended to the earth. It is either a term denoting something decreed upon the earth, or a term meaning “it melted and reached the earth.”
Ibn Ezra
“Through the wrath (be-evrat).” “Ne’tam” — in the language of Kedar [Arabic] it means “darkened”; this too is connected to the smoke mentioned above. And Rabbi Moshe HaKohen said that it is like “yo’am” (the gold has become dim) (Lamentations 4:1), and the tav is from the hitpa’el conjugation; and this is a great error.
Radak
In the Hebrew, [the phrase is] “the land was darkened.” The word “darkened” is of Arabic origin, and Jonathan rendered it as “the land was scorched,” and “land” is used in the masculine form, just as in “their land swarmed with frogs.”
“Like a thing consumed by fire.” Just as a thing consumed by fire—namely, the wood that the fire has eaten—causes another piece of wood to ignite, so too this people will not show pity, each man toward his brother. It is not enough for them the evil that their enemies do to them, for they also do evil to one another.
Metzudat David
“Because of the anger of the Lord.” By the heat of the Lord’s anger the land will be consumed and burned.
“Like a devouring fire.” Just as that which is consumed by fire—namely, the wood to which the fire clings—ignites the next piece of wood, so too this people will show no mercy, one man toward his brother, and the evil that the enemy has done will not suffice for them.
Metzudat Zion
In the wrath of. The word is from the root *avar* and *cham*:
“The earth is scorched.” The Targum: “The land is burned.”
"to his brother." Concerning his brother:
Malbim
In the Hebrew of the Lord, He depicts the passing over in the form of a great wind that will extinguish the fire and smoke to bring it down to the earth, (for it is known that when fire is extinguished and its smoke rises and joins a burning place above it, the lower rain that is extinguished will also ignite; secondly, because the upper part of the smoke ignites from the fire and immediately the whole of it ignites and lights the extinguished rain a second time, and due to the great speed it appears as if a column of fire descended from above to below), and by this means the people, which is the entirety of the nation (the metaphor of the stele), were like a devouring fire, for the way of fire burning in wood is that it ignites the wood neighbor close to it, and so the fire spreads from neighbor to neighbor and from brother to brother, and so in the metaphor, a man will not spare his brother.
And one snatches on the right hand, and is hungry; and he eats on the left hand, and is not satisfied; they eat every man the flesh of his own arm:
verse value 2836
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·the·left" (עַל־שְׂמֹ֖אול, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: and·ate, they·eat. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·cut" (וַיִּגְזֹ֤ר), "on·the·right" (עַל־יָמִין֙), "and·ate" (וַיֹּ֥אכַל). The root אכל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "on·the·left" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "man" (root איש, 59x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ימין ("on·the·right") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בשר ("flesh·seed") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·was·satisfied', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְזֹ֤ר [and·cut] (226) + עַל־יָמִין֙ [on·the·right] (210) + וְרָעֵ֔ב [and·will·be·hungry] (278) + וַיֹּ֥אכַל [and·ate] (67) + עַל־שְׂמֹ֖אול [on·the·left] (477) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + שָׂבֵ֑עוּ [they·was·satisfied] (378) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + בְּשַׂר־זְרֹע֖וֹ [flesh·seed] (785) + יֹאכֵֽלוּ [they·eat] (67) = 2836.
Rashi
And He decreed concerning the right: “They shall plunder and loot one another, whether on the right or on the left, and they shall find nothing for themselves.”
A man of flesh, his seed. And the Targum: His property, his neighbors will plunder.
Ibn Ezra
"And it was decreed." By way of parable, because of the wars that they will wage among themselves, even though they are brothers, as if they were one single body.
Radak
"And he shall cut off." This people turns to all sides and snatches from here, one from his fellow; and even so, he is hungry, for it does not suffice him. And the interpretation of "and he shall cut off" is "and he shall snatch," for one who snatches cuts off the matter from its place. And likewise it says afterwards:
Metzudat David
"And He shall cut off." He will snatch from those who stand on the right, yet he will still remain hungry, and he will eat from those who stand on the left, but they will not be satisfied, for they will find little in them.
A man. Each one shall eat the flesh of his own arm, due to the severity of hunger.
Metzudat Zion
And it was cut off. Its meaning is snatching, for one who snatches something cuts it off and severs it from its place.
“On the right.” “On the right” – the word “on” (al) here functions in place of the preposition “bet” (be), just as in the verse “You stood on your sword” (Ezekiel 33:26).
Malbim
“And he was cut off” (Vayigzar): This alludes to the prevalence of murder among them, where one would devour his fellow like a person suffering from insatiable greed, eating what is on his right side and yet remaining as hungry as before, and eating what is on his left side and still not being satisfied, until, due to the severity of the famine, he would eat his own flesh, cutting off his arm to consume its flesh, so that what he gains in the forearm he loses in the arm. Likewise, the body of the nation devoured parts of itself, as it is stated:
Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together are against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
verse value 3534
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "and·still" (וְע֖וֹד) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֖מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Ephraim" (אֶת־אֶפְרַ֗יִם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "Manasseh" (מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה), "and·Ephraim" (וְאֶפְרַ֙יִם֙), "Manasseh" (אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה). The root מנשה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·Judah" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "his·hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah); "not·turned" (root שוב, 51x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה [Manasseh] (395) + אֶת־אֶפְרַ֗יִם [Ephraim] (732) + וְאֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ [and·Ephraim] (337) + אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה [Manasseh] (796) + יַחְדָּ֥ו [together] (28) + הֵ֖מָּה [abundance] (50) + עַל־יְהוּדָ֑ה [against·Judah] (130) + בְּכׇל־זֹאת֙ [in·all·this] (460) + לֹא־שָׁ֣ב [not·turned] (333) + אַפּ֔וֹ [his·anger] (87) + וְע֖וֹד [and·still] (86) + יָד֥וֹ [his·hand] (20) + נְטוּיָֽה [outstretched] (80) = 3534.
Rashi
“Manasseh, Ephraim.” Manasseh shall be joined with Ephraim:
“And Ephraim with Manasseh.” With Manasseh, and they shall join together against Judah.
Ibn Ezra
Manasseh. This is the explanation of the verse that is above, and behold, Manasseh will fight with Ephraim, and both of them against Judah:
Radak
“Manasseh, Ephraim.” Remember these, for the kingdom belonged to Ephraim and Manasseh; and although Ephraim and Manasseh were brothers, nevertheless, these will despise those, and afterward they will unite against Judah.
Nevertheless. Despite all this evil that came upon them, they did not return from their evil deeds so that the Lord might turn from the fierceness of His anger.
Metzudat David
“Manasseh against Ephraim.” Manasseh will plunder and spoil Ephraim.
"They shall join together." Both of them shall go together against Judah to plunder spoil.
And furthermore, "His hand is stretched out." To strike again:
Malbim
“Manasseh before Ephraim,” etc., until they corrupted one another.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim