meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Ibn Ezra/Prophets/Ibn Ezra on Isaiah/English/Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873.txt"}
text: Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
  אבן עזרא על ישעיהו
  Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873
  
  
  Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
  
  Prelude
  
  The prophecies are profound and lofty;
  The wise-hearted see them, and are lost in admiration.
  May the Almighty grant strength to Abraham,
  Who intends to explain the book of Isaiah.*<i class="footnote">סוֹדוֹת מְאׂד עָמְקוּ וְגָבָהוּיִרְאוּם נְבוֹנֵי לֵב וְיִהְמָהוּ ׃יִתּן אֱלֹהִים עוֹז לְאַבְרָהָםהַבָּא לְפָרֵשׁ סוֹד יְשַׁעְיָהוּ ׃The printed editions have in the last line סֵפֶר, instead of סוד, the reading presented by a M.S. of the British Museum (Add. 24896). סוד is certainly more correct, since the additional syllable in ספר would spoil the metre. Each line consists of two simple syllables, and one compound (a syllable preceded by a Shva mobile, or by a compound Shva), two simple syllables and one compound, and two simple syllables. This metre is described by I. E. in his Sefer Zahoth, on the metre (No. 11): ב׳ תנועות ויתד, ב׳ תנועות ויתד ׳ וב׳ תנועות (.־־־־, ־־־־, ־־) , and may best be compared with the trimeter iambicus catalecticus of the Greek and Latin Literature. The Shva under the מ in עָמְקוּ is treated in this strophe as a quiescent Shva. This is in contradiction to the well-known rule, that a long vowel, not having the accent—as, <i>e.g.,</i> the Kamez under ע in עמקו—cannot be followed by a quiescent Shva. I. E. ignores this rule, and even finds fault with תֵּשְׁבִי “thou wilt sit,” being read תֵּ־שְׁבִי (Zahoth, On the Metre, No. 17). In the same way he reads עָלְ־תָה instead of עָ־לְתָה “she went up” (ibid. No. 4); וּלְ־שׁוֹ־נִי instead of וּ־לְשׁוֹ־נִי “and my tongue” (ibid. No. 1).</i>
  THE Lord is One, and His divine inspiration always the same. The prophecies, however, vary according to the receptive faculty of each prophet, which is not always the same. Some prophets received the inspiration only in a vision by night. Such were, <i>e.g.,</i> Abraham (Gen. 15:1), Gad the Seer (1 Chr. 29:29), and Isaiah (1:1).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  חזון <i>The vision of.</i> The נ is not radical.1<i class="footnote">The root of חזון is חזח to see; in חזון the radical ה is omitted, and וֹן is added, as in קדמון ,זכרון ,חשבון.</i>
  <i>The son of Amoz.</i> There exists an opinion, though a solitary one,2<i class="footnote">This is the opinion of R. Johanan (comp. Midrash Rabba, Leviticus 6), and Ulla (comp. Talmud Babli, Megilla 15a).</i> that when the father of a prophet is mentioned by name, he also was a prophet; another3<i class="footnote">R. Levi said, ‘ We know by tradition that Amoz and Amaziah were brothers.’ (Talmud Babli, Megilla 10b.)</i> opinion is, that Isaiah was a member of the royal family, that his father Amoz and Amaziah4<i class="footnote">Amaziah was king of Juda, before Uzziah, 835—806.</i> were brothers, and that the evil-disposed of Israel were unable on that account to do harm to Isaiah, as they did to Jeremiah (vid. Jer. 38); but in fact Isaiah did not escape persecution, for he says, I gave my back to smiters, etc. (1. 6). Irrespectively of all traditional explanations, we may say that the father of a prophet, if mentioned by name, was a man of some distinction, whose character rendered him conspicuous among his fellow-men; sometimes he was himself a prophet, at others not, <i>e.g</i>., David, the son of Jesse (2 Sam. 23:1). David was the man of God (2 Chron. 8:14), Jesse was not. It is with prophecy as with royalty; comp. Jehu, king of Israel, the son of Nimshi (1 Kings 19:16); Nimshi was not a king. We read, it is true, In the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet5<i class="footnote">A. V. The prophet, the son of Amoz.</i> (2 Chron. 32:32), where the qualifying term, the prophet, may as well be referred to Amoz as to Isaiah; but from the words, To Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz (2 Kings 19:2), we learn that Isaiah was the prophet. 6<i class="footnote">This is not so evident as I. E. seems to believe; since from the same two verses just the opposite inference is made, Midrash Rabba (Leviticus 6); namely, that both Isaiah and Amoz were prophets, because the epithet, the prophet, is in the one verse closely joined to the former, in the other to the latter. Ibn Ezra, who recommends the accents as an excellent guide for the reading and understanding of the Bible (comp. 5:9), should have gathered better evidence from the accents. אמוץ has a disjunctive accent, and is to be separated from the following הנְביא ; were they to be joined, their accents would be in the following way, ישעיה֨ו בן־אמ֣וץ הנביא</i> Thus the forefathers of Zephania are named (Zeph. 1:1), because the king Hezekiah was one of them.
  <i>Concerning Judah and Jerusalem</i>. The greater part of Isaiah’s prophecies refer to the cities of Judah, which were to be taken by the king of Assyria, and to Jerusalem, which was to be delivered out of his hand; the whole of the second part of the Book of Isaiah has as its subject the exile of Judah, the other tribes not being mentioned here at all.
  <i>In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.</i> Isaiah very probably commenced his prophetical career in the last year of King Uzziah, as shall be explained below (6:1). In strict regard to the words of the text, we think that he died in the days of Hezekiah; for had he lived in the days of Manasse, the son of Hezekiah, it would certainly have been stated in this verse. Some say that Isaiah was slain by Manasse, because he exclaimed, Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (6:5).7<i class="footnote">Manasse is said to have tried and condemned Isaiah for having declared that he had seen the Lord, in contradiction to the words of the Law, There shall no man see me and live (Exod. 33:20); comp. Talm. Babli, Yebamoth 49b; Talm. Jerushalmi, Sanhedrin 10:2.</i> If this statement is based on tradition,8<i class="footnote">Simeon ben Azai (Talm. Babli, Yebamoth 49b) bases this statement on notes found in a Megillath Johasim, a sort of family record; the question, however, still remains whether those notes were derived from any ancient and trustworthy authority.</i> it may be accepted.
  
  Verse 2
  
  והאזיני <i>And give ear.</i> Sometimes verbs are derived from nouns, as האזיני, ‘give ear,’ from אׂזֶן ‘ ear.’ .There is in reality no difference between שמע ‘to hear’ and האזן ‘to give ear.’9<i class="footnote">By the additional phrase על דרך פשט in reality, the commentator indicates that he rejects the various remarks of the Midrash about the difference between Is. 1:1 and Deut. 32:1, and likewise the distinction drawn between the synonyms שמע and האזן. (See Yalkut <i>ad locum</i>).</i>—Isaiah begins his prophecy, by addressing those witnesses, that have been pointed out to Israel by Moses, when he said I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you shall soon utterly perish (Deut. 4:26); the time, foretold by Moses, had then come.
  <i>For the Lord speaketh.</i> Listen to His word, since it is the Lord that speaketh ; or, because the Lord has commanded you to listen.10<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation, the phrase for the Lord speaketh refers to the following prophecy, which, although spoken by Isaiah, is nevertheless the word of God, who inspires the prophet. The second explanation requires the rendering of דבר by the past hath spoken or hath commanded, and the supplying of the Infinitive to hear or to listen.</i>
  <i>I have nourished and brought up children.</i> The Israelites are compared to feeble children, who, nevertheless, through the care of their father are enabled to distinguish themselves amongst their companions.
  פשעו בי <i>They have rebelled against me.</i> They withdrew from my command (comp. 2 Kings 8:22; Exod. 22:8).11<i class="footnote">This explanation of פשע seems to be derived from the phrase פשע מתחת יד ‘to rebel ’ (2 Kings 8:22)—literally, to withdraw from the authority of—and to be supported by דבר פשע (Exod. 22:8), an object that was lost by its owner—literally, that has slipped away from its possessor. Our author, however, in his commentary to Exodus explains דבר פשע, as generally understood, an object of trespass, and contrasts with this explanation, the one above mentioned as the opinion of R. Joshua ; eventually he seems to have entirely adopted the meaning given in the text, as is also to be seen in the abridged commentary on Exodus (22:8).</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>The ox knoweth, etc.</i> Ox and ass are mentioned, as animals which are in constant use among people.
  אבוס <i>the crib.</i> The place for the ass’s food. The form of the word is in the construct state the same as in the absolute. The participle passive Kal, 1) אבוסים Kings 5:3) and אבוס (Prov. 15:17), ‘fatted,’ is derived from this word ; it means literally, ‘placed at the crib.’
  <i>Israel doth not know.</i> They are, therefore, in their character inferior to the cattle.
  <i>My people doth not consider.</i> Repetition of the preceding idea, as usual in most of the prophecies, in the song of Moses (Deut. 32), in the parables of Balaam (Num. 23., 24i&gt;My people doth not consider. Repetition of the preceding idea, as usual in most of the prophecies, in the song of Moses (Deut. xxxii.), in the parables of Balaam (Num. xxiii., xxiv.), etc.12<i class="footnote">In Hebrew the repetition is used in the prophetical but not in the historical style.—I. E. on Ex. 14:19.</i> The meaning of the whole verse is, I have brought them up, but they do not know me.
  
  Verse 4
  
  הוי. Some consider the ה as a substitute for א, and explain אוי ═ הוי, ‘woe;’ comp. אדורם and הדורם, N. pr. (2 Chr. 10:18; 1 Kings 12:18); איך and היך, how (1 Chr. 13:12 ; 2 Sam. 6:9); but I think that it is a sign of the vocative case (derived from the verb היה ‘to be’), and that the passage must be rendered, O sinful people, etc. ; comp. הוי הוי ונסו, Ho, ho, flee (Zach. 2:10), הוי ציון המלטי O Zion, deliver thyself (<i>Ibid</i>. 11).13<i class="footnote">In the two passages quoted by the author, הוי cannot be translated by ‘ woe,’ because it is followed by good tidings.—Ibn Ezra does not mean to say that הוי is never used instead of אוי (woe); for in this same chapter (ver. 24) he admits the identity of these two words.—The connection between היה ‘ to be ’ and הוי ‘ Oh ’ is not clear. Comp. Zahoth, On the Aleph.</i> The second person is, therefore, used in the next verse, Why should ye be stricken any more.
  כֶבֶד <i>Laden with.</i> An adjective in the construct state; comp. עֶרֶל לב ועֶרֶל בשר, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh (Ez. 44:9).14<i class="footnote">כֶּבֶד is, according to Ibn Ezra, not a substantive, the burden of, but the construct state of the adjective כָּבֵד, heavy of, heavy with regard to; like עֶרֶל uncircumcised with regard to—the construct state of the adjective עָרֵל, uncircumcised.</i>
  <i>Seed of evil doers.</i> They and their forefathers have been wicked ; or, their father was an Amorite, their mother a Hittite (Ez. 16:3),15<i class="footnote">The Israelites are, according to this explanation, called a seed of evil-doers, because their forefathers, the ancestors of Abraham, were idolators.</i> as I shall explain.16<i class="footnote">The commentary of Ibn Ezra on Ezekiel is not known.</i>
  משחיתים <i>Corrupters.</i> That corrupt their soul or their way.17<i class="footnote">משחיתים is the participle Hiphil, and has therefore originally the causative meaning, causing their soul or way to be corrupt.</i>
  <i>They have forsaken the Lord,</i> that is, the service of the Lord.
  נאצו <i>They have provoked unto anger.</i>
  נזורו. <i>They are gone away.</i> Root נזר ‘to separate’ ; comp. וינזרו that they separate themselves (Lev. 22:2). נָזוֹרוּ is formed like יָבׂלוּ ‘ they could ’ (Exod. 8:14). Many take it as Niphal of זור ‘ to separate ’; comp. נָכוֹנוּ ‘ they are prepared ’ (Prov. 19:29); Niphal of כּוּן, ‘ to stand.
  
  Verse 5
  
  תֻּבּוּ. <i>Should ye be stricken.</i> The ת in תֻּבּוּ, they sat down. (Deuter. 33:3), is part of the root—תֻּבּוּ being Pual of תכה ; comp. וְשֻׁפּוּ and they stick out (Job 33:21)—but here it is the prefix representing the second person; תֻּבּוּ being Hophal of נכה.—<i>You will revolt more and more</i>. The more you are smitten, the more you revolt, while the proper way for you would be to repent; comp., And in the time of his—Ahaz, king of Judah’s—distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord. (2 Chr. 28:22.)
  סָרָה <i>Rebellious.</i> Adjective; root סרר, ‘to be rebellious,’ comp. סורר, ‘rebellious’ (Deuter. 21:18); supply מלה or דברה ‘ word;’ סרה may also be taken as a substantive, ‘ rebellion.’
  <i>The whole head is sick.</i> Whereupon shall ye be stricken? for the whole head is afflicted already with all kinds of sickness, etc. The head and heart are mentioned as the principal parts of the body.
  דַּוָּי <i>Faint.</i> Adjective; a form like נַּנָּב ‘ thievish,’ סַלָּח ‘ placable.
  
  Verse 6
  
  מְתוֹם <i>A place containing soundness</i> (תּוֹם ‘ soundness or integrity’). The form of the word is irregular, for it should be מָתוֹם like מָעוֹז (25:4). The same form is used Ps. 38:4. R. Moses Hakkohen says that מְתוֹם is the same as מְתִים ‘ people ;’ he quotes a parallel, Judges 20:48, and explains our verse, there is nothing in them that is good for man; but this explanation is rather far-fetched.
  פצע <i>Wounds.</i> Supply the word רק ‘only,’ ‘but,’ before פצע. There is no soundness in him ; there are but wounds and bruises ; comp. שיאכל ושתה אין טוב באדם There is nothing good for man <i>but</i> that he should eat and drink. (Eccles. 2:24).
  פצע <i>A wound</i> caused by the breaking of the bone.
  חבורת <i>A sore</i> attended with suppuration. &gt;
  טריה Fresh,18<i class="footnote">A. V., Putrefying.</i> not yet dry (comp. Judges 15:15); in Arabic the word طرا has the same meaning. ..
  זׂרוּ <i>They have been squeezed</i>.19<i class="footnote">A. V., They have been closed.</i> Root זׁרד ‘ to squeeze ’ (comp. Judges 6:38). The wound cannot be healed unless the matter is removed from it.
  חבשו <i>They have been bound up.</i> Root חבש ‘ to compress,’ ‘to bind up ’ (comp. חובש ‘ruler,’ 3:7).20<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra seems to identify ruler with oppressor. Compare his commentary on 3:7, and Eccles. 4:16, The laws of kings are tyrannical.</i>
  בַּשָּׁמֶן <i>With the oil</i>.21<i class="footnote">A. V., With ointment.</i> With the oil, which the cure of the wound requires.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Your country, etc.</i> What has been said hitherto in figurative expressions is now repeated in plain language. All their land has been smitten, a part of it is desolate, without inhabitants, a part destroyed by fire, another part robbed of its produce by strangers.
  אכלים אתה <i>Devour it.</i> Devour its produce; comp. בעצבון תאכלנה In sorrow shalt thou eat of it. (Gen. 3:17.)
  ושממה <i>And desolate.</i> Supply ארצכם ‘ your country ’—and your country is desolate.22<i class="footnote">It is not quite clear what Ibn Ezra means by this remark; perhaps that the expressive closing sentence, ושממה כמהפכת זרים And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers, is to be taken in a more comprehensive sense, and referred to the general term ארצכם your country, which includes עריכם your cities, and אדמתכם your land.</i> זרים can be derived from זרם ‘ tempest ’ (32:2); the final מ would then be not a sign of the plural, but one of the radical letters; if so, if this derivation be correct, the two words זרים of this verse are two different grammatical forms.23<i class="footnote">This is the opinion of Saadiah, attacked by R. Adonim, because of זָרים being different from the singular זָרֶם and the plural זְרָמִים, but defended by Ibn Ezra in his Sephath Yether (No. 22); this is one of the many instances of two nouns, different in form but identical in meaning, being formed from the same root; זֶרֶם ═ זָרִים ‘ tempest.’</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>And the daughter of Zion is left,</i> etc. The fortified cities of Judah will be taken and only Zion will be left.
  סוכה <i>The hut.</i>24<i class="footnote">A. V., Cottage.</i> The place for the watchman ; that is, the temple built in honour of the Almighty.
  מלונה <i>A lodge,</i> where the watchman stays through the night. במקשה <i>In the garden of cucumbers.</i>
  נצורה <i>Ruined</i>25<i class="footnote">A. V., Besieged.</i> (comp. 65:4)
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Except the Lord of hosts,</i> etc. These are the words of the Israelites, whom the prophet introduces now speaking.
  כמעָט֑ <i>Very small.</i> Join with שׂריד ‘remnant,’ because of its disjunctive accent; for it is an important rule, that the most careful notice should be taken of the accents.26<i class="footnote">The author himself sometimes overlooks this important rule; as, for instance, in his remark to ver. 1, <i>sub voce</i> the son of Amoz.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Hear the word of the Lord,</i> etc. The prophet replies to their complaint, We are like Sodom, by saying, If you were so, it would be but just, for your princes are like the princes of Sodom,—this is meant by the address, Ye rulers of Sodom—and the people is like the people of Gomorrah.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>To what purpose,</i> etc. Why should I leave you longer in the land ? Is it for the sake of the multitude of your burnt offerings ? <i>I am full,</i> etc. An anthropomorphism ; in reality, He does not want anything; comp. If I <i>were</i> hungry, I would not tell thee, etc. (Ps. 1. 12 ff).
  אילים <i>Large sheep.</i>27<i class="footnote">A. V., Rams.</i>
  מריאים A species of cattle, akin to the ox, but larger; its fat is prohibited.28<i class="footnote">In the Rabbinical writings חֵלֶב is the forbidden fat, שׁוּמָן the permitted. The fat of the quadrupeds that were allowed to be eaten and were also admitted as offerings upon the altar, is prohibited (Leviticus 7:25); the fat of those that were not employed as sacrifices, but might serve as food to the Israelites, is permitted. In the former case the animals were called בהמה ‘ cattle’, in the latter חיה ‘beasts.’ According to Ibn Ezra מריא is a בהמה ; according to Saadiah it is a חיה (جاموس chamois). Comp. I. E. on Am. 5:22.</i> The Gaon29<i class="footnote">R. Hai (ibid.)</i> compares מריאים fed beasts with מרא to feed (Mishnah Sabbath 24:3).
  כבשים The young of the flock.30<i class="footnote">A. V., Lambs.</i>
  עתודים The old of the flock31<i class="footnote">A. V., He-goats.</i> (comp. Gen. 31:10)
  
  Verse 12
  
  לפני═פני <i>Before me;</i> it is not the object of לֵרָאוֹח ‘ to be seen.’32<i class="footnote">פעול, object, is the person or thing to which the action is directed; the verb may be active or passive; <i>e.g.,</i> לראות פני, according to this opinion, rejected by I. E., When my face is seen; ‘my face’ is called object, though the nominative case. Comp. I. E. on Exod. 23:15.</i>
  רמוס <i>To tread.</i> Infinitive.
  
  Verse 13
  
  לא תוסיפו <i>Ye shall not continue</i>. A prohibition (comp. Deut. 4:2); not a mere future.
  להביא═הביא <i>To bring. Vain oblations</i>, etc. For your oblation is vain in mine eyes, and your incense an abomination.
  ראש חדש═חדש <i>Day of the new moon.</i> In the Pentateuch it is clearly stated33<i class="footnote">I. E. refers perhaps to the words עלת חדש, Num. 28:14, which are the same as עלת ראש חדש, the burnt offering of the new moon. In his commentary on Exod. 12:2 he shows in the form of a short dialogue between R. Moses Hakkohen and his opponents, that חדש signifies New moon. Comp. I. E. on Exod. 19:1 and Num. 28:14. The word  חדש signifies also ‘month,’ that is, the time from one new moon to the other; as שבת, originally ‘ Sabbath,’ is also used to signify the time which passes between one Sabbath and the other, the week.</i> that the word bears this meaning, New-moon.
  קרא מקרא That you proclaim them to be holy convocations.34<i class="footnote">A. V., The calling of assemblies. Comp. Lev. 23:2.</i> Isaiah mentions these festivals, together with the burnt offerings and oblations, because of the additional offering (מוסף) brought on such days.35<i class="footnote">Comp. Num. 28 and xxix.</i>
  לא אוכל <i>I cannot bear.</i> Supply the word נְשאׁ, ‘to bear.’ Comp. חמור לחם an ass <i>laden with</i> bread (1 Sam. 16:20).
  עצרה <i>Restraint</i>. Comp. עׂצֶר ‘prison’ (53:8). Restraint from doing any work. עצרת (Lev. 23:36) has the same meaning. <i>Iniquity and restraint</i>.36<i class="footnote">A. V., Even the solemn meeting.</i> God cannot bear iniquity coupled with the observance of holy days; for of what use is it to keep holy days and to do evil at the same time.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>They are a trouble unto me.</i> These words imply the threat, I shall therefore banish you, and they—the festivals—will then cease.
  <i>I am weary.</i> A figurative expression.
  
  Verse 15
  
  ובפרשכם <i>And when ye spread forth.</i> The Hirik under ר is instead of Segol.37<i class="footnote">The infinitive Piel is פָּרֵש ; when כֶם is added the syllable רֵש loses the accent, and the long vowel Zere must therefore be shortened; this is usually done by changing Zere into Segol; to change it into Hirek, as in וּבְפֽרִשְׁכֶם, is exceptional.</i>
  <i>I will hide mine eyes from you</i>. I will keep away mercy from you.
  <i>I will not hear.</i> These words contain the same idea, I will not help you. 
  <i>Your hands are full of blood.</i> Because your hands, etc. <i>Blood</i>. Bloodshed.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Wash</i>. Wash your hands of the blood they have shed.
  הִתְזַכּוּ═הִזַּכּוּ <i>Make you clean.</i> It is Hithpael; the ת is absorbed in the ז; comp. לַמִּהְטַהֵר═לַמִּטַּהֵר unto him that purifies himself (Lev. 14:4)
  
  Verse 17
  
  להיטב═היטב <i>To do well.</i> It is infinitive.
  אשרו <i>Straighten</i>.38<i class="footnote">A. V., Relieve.</i> Root א ; ישר replaces the radical י ; the reverse is the case in תתאמרו═תִּתְיַמָּרוּ you shall boast yourselves(61:6).
  חמוץ <i>Cruel</i>.39<i class="footnote">A. V., The oppressed.</i> An adjective, like קרוב ‘ near ;’ comp. חומץ ‘ cruel ’ (Ps. 71:4). Many explain אשרו חמוץ Give due consideration to the cause, do not judge off hand ; the meaning of אשרו would then be, Praise ye (comp. Gen. 30:13).40<i class="footnote">The translation of the words אשרו חמוץ, according to this explanation, would be : Praise him who is considerate in judgment. This is the opinion of Raba, recorded in Talm. Babl. Sanhedrin 35. אשרו דײן שמחמץ את דינו Praise the judge, who gives his judgment time to ferment. חמוץ is then derived from חָמֵץ dough which had sufficient time to rise. In the courts of law of the Jews, it was the rule that the execution of the sentence of death, after the completion of the trial, should be deferred till the following day, in order to be considered and discussed a second time. (Talm. 1. c.)</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  ונוכחה. Some say that God is now speaking ; Let us—God and Israel—reason together (comp. Mic. 6:2); but I think the words may well be assigned to the prophet; as if he said God told me that we—you, Israel, and I—should submit to His rebuke ; for the prophet himself was not entirely without blame, as he reports, And He reproved me, that I should not walk, etc. (8:11), as I shall explain below (6:5).
  שנים <i>Scarlet</i> (comp. Exod. 25:4). The idea contained in this verse is the reverse of that conveyed by the words of Jeremiah, Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me (Jerem. 2:22); namely, the iniquity will depart, and you will again be free from all sin. The same is expressed by the words Wash you, etc. (ver. 16).
  <i>Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.</i> A repetition of the same idea.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.</i> Otherwise, the strangers before-mentioned (ver. 7) will consume it.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>You shall be devoured with the sword.</i> That is to say, If you be obedient you shall eat the good, and if you rebel you shall be devoured with the sword. Supply before חֶרֶב ‘ the sword,’ either the verbal noun אֲכִילַת. ‘ a devouring of,’ or the preposition ב ‘ with ’ ; comp. בבית ═ בית ‘ in the house ’ (2 Kings 18:15). 
  <i>For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.</i> Be sure that this prediction will be fulfilled, for the mouth, etc.41<i class="footnote">The words וזה האמת, and this is the truth, are very often used by I. E. in his commentaries to express his approval of an opinion quoted by him. They might here also be taken in the same sense, so as to indicate that I. E. was in favour of the last mentioned explanation, בחרב ═ חרב ; but then the words for the mouth, etc., would be quite superfluous, or I. E.’s remark on them must be missing. In the translation they explain the causal conjunction כי ‘ for,’ in the phrase כי ה׳ דבר. (Comp. I. E. on Mic. 4:4.)</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  The prophet has thus reproved the people but they do not listen.
  <i>How is the faithful city become an harlot.</i> Jerusalem is like a woman that has become faithless to her husband, after having been a faithful wife.
  מלאתי <i>Full of.</i> The י is paragogic as in גנבתי the theft of (Gen. 31:39.)42<i class="footnote">The construct state of גנבה ,מלאה is regularly גנבַת מלאַת.</i>
  ילין <i>Was lodging.</i> The future is here used for the imperfect,43<i class="footnote">זמן עומד literally, the standing time, duration. As a form of the verb it indicates that the action has commenced already, but is not yet finished. This is always the case with the present tense, which is therefore called by I. E זמן עומד. But the imperfect was lodging, expressing continuation, repetition or duration is likewise included in this term.</i> which has no special form in Hebrew.
  מרצחים <i>Murderers.</i> Literally, they that cause to murder. It is participle Piel, and has a causative meaning, referring to the judges.43 *<i class="footnote">Bad judges cause to murder, by ordering the execution of innocent persons.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>Thy silver.</i> Metaphor for judges and princes ; this verse is, therefore, followed by, Thy princes are rebellious. <i>Thy silver is become dross.</i> The best of the people are like dross.
  מהול <i>Mixed.</i> The ה is one of the radical letters. Hapax legomenon.
  
  Verse 23
  
  שלמנים <i>Rewards.</i> (Comp. Exod. 22:5). They perverted judgment; the judge said, Give me such and such a sum, and it shall stand thee in good part in thy lawsuit with thy neighbour.
  <i>To the orphan</i>—of whom they are not afraid. <i>They judge not.</i> That is, they do not render justice.
  <i>The cause of the widow</i>—which she has to bring forward. <i>Doth not come unto them:</i> they do not like to hear her cause, therefore it does not come before them.
  
  Verse 24
  
  נאום <i>The word of</i>. A noun (comp. Jer. 23:31). To use נֻם instead of נאום is a blunder,44<i class="footnote">This seems to be an attack on those Paytanim who use נם instead of נאם, with omission of א. But in his Moznaim, a grammatical pamphlet, the author adduces several instances in which א is omitted. (See Moznaim <i>sub voce</i> נעל ים).</i> for א cannot be omitted.
  <i>The Lord.</i> This is added because the judges appear as the lords of the earth.
  <i>The Lord of hosts.</i> He is truly the Lord, and the hosts of the universe are His witnesses. Why the name of God is joined, in the construct state, to צבאות, though being a proper noun, is explained in the Book of Samuel.45<i class="footnote">Read Book of Exodus. The word Samuel seems to be a mistake which has its origin in the abbreviation (שמות ═) שמו׳ being wrongly completed as שמואל. Ibn Ezra, on Ex. 3:14, observes, that the tetragrammaton is a proper noun; but although generally proper nouns in Hebrew cannot be joined to a genitive, there are a few exceptions; and the connexion of the name of God with the genitive of צבאות, is one of them; this exception is justified, because He is not only the Absolute Being, but also the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. The name of God may therefore be considered as identical with the common noun Ruler, and be followed by a genitive. It is, however, possible that the words מפורש בשמואל are correct, and refer to 2 Sam. 6:2, to the statement that the holy ark is called by His name, whence I. E. deduces, that the name of God is both a proper noun and a common noun. Comp. Yesod Mora, 100:12.</i>
  The mighty One of Israel, and The Lord of hosts compose a parallelism, in which Israel on earth beneath corresponds to the hosts of heaven above, for the Israelites are likewise called the hosts of God (comp. Exod. 12:41).
  אוי ═ חוי <i>Woe</i>.46<i class="footnote">See note 12.</i> Woe unto them when I shall do the following thing. 
  <i>I will ease me of mine adversaries</i>. I will find comfort for their having provoked me. An anthropomorphism.
  
  Verse 25
  
  ידי <i>My hand;</i> that is, my smiting (comp. Exod. 9:3).
  כבור <i>As if it were with soap ;</i> ═ בור בורית ‘ soap ’; or more correctly, <i>purely</i> (comp. Ps. 18:25).
  <i>Thy dross.</i> This expression reverts to the former metaphor, thy silver is become dross.
  בדיליך <i>Thy tin</i>. R. Moses Hakkohen remarks, that the names of the seven kinds of metal are not found in the Bible in the plural ; he forgets בדיליך, which is plural; the singular would be בדילֵך .47<i class="footnote">I. E. mentions in his Moznaim, <i>sub voce</i> היחידים, two exceptions: בדיליך ‘thy tin,’ and כספיהם ‘their silver’ (Gen. 42:25). R. Moses Hakkohen does not say the seven kinds of metal, but ועפרת זהב וכסף ונחשת וברזל ובדיל Gold, silver, brass, iron, tin, lead. I. E. makes seven out of these six by applying כסף to silver and mercury (כסף חי)</i>
  
  Verse 26
  
  <i>And I will restore thy judges,</i> etc. When the kingdom of Israel, the ten tribes, with their judges, shall cease here, and the judges of Ahaz shall likewise have gone, Hezekiah will appoint upright judges ; and this is in fact recorded of him.48<i class="footnote">This fact is mentioned neither in the book of Kings nor in the Chronicles.</i>
  <i>As at first.</i> As in the days of David and Solomon. The ב in כבראשנה is not essential.
  
  Verse 27
  
  <i>Zion shall be redeemed,</i> etc. Zion will, in consequence of her justice, be redeemed out of the hand of Sennacherib.
  <i>And her returning people</i>.49<i class="footnote">A. V., And her converts.</i> The people that will repent. Supply יפדו will be redeemed.
  
  Verse 28
  
  פושעים <i>Transgressors</i>. They that rebel against authority.50<i class="footnote">Comp. ver. 2.</i> They are worse than חטאים sinners. <i>And the destruction of the transgressors shall be</i> TOGETHER. ALL the fortified towns of Judah shall be captured.
  <i>And they that forsake the Lord,</i> etc. The ordinary repetition of the same idea.
  
  Verse 29
  
  אילים <i>Terebinths</i>. The singular is אלה ; it has a masculine termination in the plural like נָשִׁים of אִשָּׁח woman, and סאים of סאה measure (Gen. 18:6); comp. The gardens, which, in the corresponding phrase, balances terebinths.51<i class="footnote">This remark is made because of אילים being likewise the plural of איל ‘ram.’</i>
  יבשו <i>They shall be ashamed.</i> Some say that the י is here used instead of ת, the third instead of the second person, and explain many other instances in the same way; but I think that the third person of יכלו they shall be consumed of the preceding verse, is continued in יבשל, and in חמדתם ye have desired, passes over to the second person; there are many instances like it.
  ותחפרו <i>And ye shall be confounded</i>
  
  Verse 30
  
  <i>For he shall be as an oak tree,</i> etc. After having said that they shall be ashamed of the oak trees they have coveted and stolen, the prophet compares them to an oak tree whose leaves have withered.
  נובלת עליה <i>Whose leaf fadeth.</i> Literally, which is withering with regard to its leaves; comp. ותאבדו דרך, And you shall perish with regard to the way (Ps. 2:12); similarly we say in the Confession, (קשינו ערף (ודוי We are stiff with regard to our neck. 52<i class="footnote">The confession or וִדּוּי is a portion of the divine service for the Day of Atonement (10th of Tishri).</i> כאלה <i>As an oak.</i> This proves that מאי לים(ver. 29) is the plural of אלה oak, especially since this is likewise followed by and as a garden, etc.53<i class="footnote">See note 51.</i>
  
  Verse 31
  
  החסון. <i>The strong.</i> Adjective; the substantive is חוסן strength.
  נעורת <i>Tow</i>. That which is shaken off (נער to shake) from the flax.
  לניצוץ <i>As a spark</i> (comp. Ez. 1:7). This verse refers to the idols, which are made strong, that they should not shake, but which those who formed them will burn in time of trouble, because they helped not; but the workmen themselves will likewise be burnt; ..
  this is meant by and they will both burn. (Comp. Exod. 3:3.)
  <i>And none shall quench.</i> And none shall help.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  THIS chapter commences a new prophecy, but not without connection with the preceding. Zion will now be saved from the hands of Sennacherib,1<i class="footnote">This is the subject of the first chapter; the second begins with describing the salvation of Israel, which will be effected in the distant future.</i> and she will besides be highly distinguished in the future.
  
  Verse 2
  
  This will take place, as the prophet says, <i>In the last of the days</i>. That is, in the days of Messiah, which are the last of the days of the world.2<i class="footnote">By The last of the days of the world Ibn Ezra points to the furthermost period of time, the period of the highest degree of perfection and salvation, which will undergo no fresh change, nor suffer any relapse into former imperfections. Such a period, Ibn Ezra says, has not yet come, because war has not yet ceased.</i> Those days have not yet come; for since the days of Isaiah there has never been a period free from war. We learn from Josephus, and the literature of the Persians and Medes,3<i class="footnote">Another reading for ומרי is רומי and Romans.</i> that during the whole time of the second temple in Jerusalem war had never ceased. Moreover,4<i class="footnote">The meaning is, Even if the records here referred to were not trust-worthy, and if for a certain period war had really ceased, it has been resumed again; while the period of Messiah requires ‘ that war should not be learnt <i>any more</i>.’</i> the prophet distinctly declares, Neither shall they learn war any more.
  <i>And shall be exalted.</i> We know that the mount of the temple will not be physically raised; but what the phrase means is, that it will be established in such a way that people will hasten up to it from the four comers of the earth, as if it were higher than all hills.
  ונהרו <i>And they will flow.</i> Root, נהר ‘to flow’; comp. נהר river, which is so called on account of its flowing motion.
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And he shall judge.</i> He, who is the judge, the Messiah, shall judge (comp. Numb. 26:59).5<i class="footnote">The passage referred to is אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה אׂחָהּ, ‘ whom she bare’: no noun precedes the phrase, whose substitute the pronoun she should be. In this and similar elliptical cases, Ibn Ezra usually supplies a participle or a verbal noun from the verb; as, for instance, היולדת ‘ the mother,’ implied in the verb יָלְדָה or הַשׁׂפֵט implied in the verb וְשָׁפַט; sometimes he completes the elliptical phrase from the context; comp. ver. 8.</i>
  לְאִתִּים <i>Into plowshares.</i> Comp. אֵתוֹ his plowshare (1 Sam. 13:20); the Dagesh of the ת compensates for the omitted silent letter י; the same purpose is served by the long vowel Zere under א in the word  6<i class="footnote">Long vowels are either really or virtually followed by one of the silent letters אהוי ; namely, Kamez by א or ה, Zere and Hirek by י, Holem and Shurek by ו.</i>.אֵתוֹ
  למזמרות <i>Pruning-hooks.</i> Instruments for pruning the vineyards.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>O house of Jacob,</i> etc. With these words the prophet rebukes Israel, as if he said, Since Zion will now, as you are well aware, be redeemed for her justice, and a time, besides, will come for her great salvation, we all owe obedience to the words of the prophecies, which are true as the light. The prophet includes himself in this rebuke, by using the first person plural, <i>pro formd,</i> as Moses did when he prayed, forgive our iniquity; or because he grew up among the people and acquired something of their mode of speaking,7<i class="footnote">Comp. 6:5, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips and I. E. on Is. 1:18.</i> as I shall explain (6:5)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Thou hast forsaken,</i> etc. Some refer the second person to God, and say that the prophet confesses here before Him that He has justly forsaken them, for they are full of Eastern customs, etc. R. Moses Hakkohen refers it to Israel, and explains accordingly : Thou, O Israel, hast forgotten thy people and its religion. 
  מלאו According to some, they are enthusiastic; comp. מלא with enthusiasm8<i class="footnote">A. V., A multitude.</i> (Jer. 12:6); I think that it means, they are full, namely, with the wisdom of the children of the East, the Aramæans ; comp. Aram in the east, and the Philistines in the west (9:11); the next is, therefore, And are soothsayers like the Philistines. בית יעקב in this verse must then be vocative, like the first (5:5).9<i class="footnote">In the Hebrew text this remark is wrongly placed at the end of the next sentence.</i>
  ובילדי <i>And with ideas of</i>.10<i class="footnote">A. V., In the children of.</i> And with what they bring forth by thought; for the resultant of any two forces is called נולד ‘ born, product.’11<i class="footnote">The two components are the man and his mind; the resultant is the idea.</i> ישפיקו <i>They satisfy</i> 12<i class="footnote">A. V., They please.</i> <i>themselves.</i> Comp. יִשְׂפׂק ‘it shall suffice’ (1 Kings 20:10), although of a different conjugation; the latter being Kal, the former Hiphil. They are satisfied with secular knowledge, and do not seek for the prophecy, which is the best light.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Full of silver and gold.</i> Silver is mentioned before gold, because it is in quantity more abundant.
  קצה <i>End.</i> ה is paragogic, like ה in לילה night; the accent is therefore on the penultima.13<i class="footnote">Nouns ending in –ָה or –ֶה have generally the accent on the last syllable; but there are exceptions to this rule, and one of them is, that if these terminations are paragogic, the last but one has the accent.</i>
  In the preceding verse Israel is described as wise, in this as rich and mighty; in the same order Jeremiah enumerates these qualities (Jer. 9:23)
  
  Verse 8
  
  אלילים <i>Idols.</i> Root אַל "not"; the idols are called by this name, because there is no reality in them. 
  <i>They worship the work of his</i> 14<i class="footnote">A. V., Their.</i><i> hands, that which his fingers have made.</i> They—all the people—worship the work of his—the smith’s—hands, that which his—the smith’s—fingers have made.15<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra explains hereby the change of the number in </i> ידיו "<i>his</i> hands", and ישתחוו "<i>they</i> worship" ; the Version evades the difficulty by translating ידיו "<i>their</i> hands".
  
  Verse 9
  
  וישה <i>And boweth down.</i> Niphal of שחח; comp. וימס ‘And it was melted’ (Jos. 7:5) Niphal of מסס. Their acts degraded them.
  ואל תשא להם According to some—the ת being the sign for the second person, and referring to God—and thou forgive them not. I am, however, of opinion that the passage has the following meaning: Not one of them dares to lift up his head or soul, because the context requires a phrase similar to And the man humbles himself ; or that the word ארץ ‘ the earth ’ is to be supplied: And the earth is not able to bear them16<i class="footnote">They are so vile that the earth cannot bear them any longer—that they do not deserve to live any longer upon the surface of the earth.</i> (comp. Gen. 13:6). The Grammarian,17<i class="footnote">The Grammarian is the title by which Ibn Ezra calls R. Judah Hayug.</i> who asserts that אַל is only found with a command, is mistaken; comp. אל־מות, where there is no death (Prov. 12:28)
  
  Verse 10
  
  בא Infinitive: ‘ to enter ’ (comp. Hab. 2:3); or imperative : enter ; the advice which they will give each other.
  הטמן The same; infinitive or imperative. It is the Niphal of טמן
  
  Verse 11
  
  עיני <i>The looks of.</i> עין ‘eye,’ or ‘ look,’ though generally feminine, is sometimes masculine (as <i>e.g.</i> in this verse, since the masculine form שָׁפֵל is joined to עֵינֵי) ; and עֵינֵי ‘ the looks,’ is identical with כל אחד מעיני ‘ each of the looks’; comp. בנות ‘ each of the branches ’ (Gen. 49:22).18<i class="footnote">The peculiarity of a noun in the plural being joined as nominative to a verb in the singular (as, <i>e.g.,</i> in  עֵינֵי נבהות אדם שָׁפֵל The lofty looks of man shall be humbled) is explained by giving to the plural the meaning one of, or each of.</i>
  <i>Haughtiness.</i> The contrary, lowliness, is meant; comp. He will enlighten my darkness 19<i class="footnote">Haughtiness cannot be brought low; it must be removed altogether, and can then be replaced by humility. In the same way darkness is not enlightened, but light is substituted for it.</i> (Ps. 18:29)
  
  Verse 12
  
  ושפל <i>He shall be brought low.</i> The ו changes the past into a future; 20<i class="footnote">וְשָׁפֵל could be taken as co-ordinate with נִשָּׂא, that which is high and that which is low; Ibn Ezra rejects this explanation, and takes ושפל as the past turned into future by the ו conversive.</i> comp. וטהר he shall be clean (Lev. 22:7)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The cedars, etc.</i> All this may be taken either literally, or symbolically for the young, great, rich, mighty, and the kings.
  
  Verse 14
  
  ההרים <i>The mountains.</i> I derive הרים from הרה to conceive, as I shall explain in the Book of Psalms (148:9).21<i class="footnote">In his commentary on Ps. 148:9, Ibn Ezra says that the mountains are pregnant (הרה) with all kinds of metals; therefore they are called הָרִים.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>The tower.</i> The tower on the royal palace.22<i class="footnote">This remark is made in opposition to the opinion of those who refer the tower to the ships. (See Rashi <i>ad locum</i>.)</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Ships of Tarshish.</i> If taken figuratively, they signify the merchants; literally, they are ships which belong to Israelites, and are going to Tarshish.
  שכיות <i>Pictures.</i> Comp. אבן משנית A stone with a picture 23<i class="footnote">A.V., Any image of stone.</i> (Lev. 26:1)
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>And the loftiness, etc.</i> This idea is repeated here, because all the objects previously enumerated, excite pride in those that possess them, and cause dejection to those that lose them.
  
  Verse 18
  
  יחלוף <i>He shall abolish.</i> Comp. בני חלוף the afflicted (Prov. 31:5), to whom death is imminent; this root has a similar meaning in חלף it is over (Song 2:11).
  כליל. This word remains the same in the masculine and feminine, singular and plural; it means all (comp. Exod. 28:31; Lev. 6:16).
  <i>He shall abolish.</i> The third person refers to God.
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  עשו <i>They made.</i> The subject is not named; it is the indefinite one or they;24<i class="footnote">Comp. Note 5.</i> comp. ויאמר ליוסף and he (═ some one) said to Joseph (Gen. 48:1). עשוהו one has done it25<i class="footnote">A.V., Hath been already done.</i> (Eccles. 2:12).
  חפר פרות. I think the singular is חפרפרת, and signifies a bird that flies out in the night like the bat, and keeps itself hidden during the day ; others say that חפרפרת means a bird which eats up the fruits during the night; in this case it consists of two separate words.26<i class="footnote">חפר digging, פרות fruits.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  נקרת <i>The clefts of.</i> Literally a hollowed place of.
  סעפי. Branchlike pieces projecting from the rocks, where people can hide themselves.27<i class="footnote">Comp.סעיף branch. A.V., The tops of. </i>
  לערוץ <i>To be mighty</i>.28<i class="footnote">A. V., To shake terribly.</i> Root ערץ ; comp. עריץ mighty. According to others, it is a transitive verb, meaning to terrify; אל תערץ (Jos. 1:9) has, perhaps, the same meaning, the word לבך thine heart, being supplied—do not terrify or discourage thine heart—and עריץ (29:20), is then a transitive adjective, terrible, like אימים (Gen. 14:5), the terrifying ones.29<i class="footnote">A.V., The Emims.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>Cease ye, etc.</i> Since God has issued His decrees against you, as indicated in the words ‘ Because of the fear of the Lord,’ etc. (ver. 10), no man has the power to undo them; cease, therefore, to rely on man, he will not help you, for he is vanity.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  THIS Chapter is either the explanation of the latter part of Chapter II., beginning the cedars, the mountains, etc. (2:13, ff.) or the continuation of the subject, commencing Cease, ye from man, etc. (2:22); I adopt this latter view.
  משען ומשענה. <i>The stay and the staff.</i> Poetically said for every kind of staff. 1<i class="footnote">The repetition of a noun with or without the variation of its form is often used for כל, all; for instance, איש איש every man, Lev. 15:2, חכם מחכם wise in every respect (Prov. 30:24), שממה ומשמה all kinds of desolation (Ez. 6:14, comp. Job 30:3).</i> The explanation of the figure follows immediately, The whole stay of bread and water.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>The mighty man.</i> He who has the strength required for a successful war.2<i class="footnote">The words required for a successful war have no direct equivalent in the Hebrew text, but are understood. Without this addition the remark of I. E. would have no sense. I.E. evidently endeavours to show how all the categories mentioned in this verse might contribute to save the nation from imminent ruin by a foreign conqueror. The first two are enabled by valour and practice to lead the people against the approaching enemy, the second two to keep them from unjust, the third from unsuccessful undertakings. I. E. adds before the astrologer the word also (גם), and before the charmer (ver. 3) the word even (אפילו), to indicate the distinction between them and the others; while the latter promote the welfare of the country in reality, the merits of the former exist only in the imagination of the credulous people.</i>
  <i>The man of war.</i> He who has the experience.
  <i>The judge,</i> who is asked to show the right way according to the law. <i>The prophet,</i> who serves the same purpose; and also <i>the astrologer</i>,3<i class="footnote">A.V., the prudent. Root קסם, to decide, to give judgment. In his commentary on Deut. (18:10) Ibn Ezra leaves it uncertain whether קוסם has the general meaning prognosticator, and includes the מעונן מנחש מכשף as three kinds of קוסם who pretend to derive their knowledge of the future from the clouds, from predictive signs or experiments, or the special meaning, an astrologer, who foretells the future by stars; קוסם is in the latter case coordinate with the other three.</i> who foretells future events through the science of astrology. 
  <i>The ancient,</i> who has profited by the changes and trials of life.
  
  Verse 3
  
  חכם חרשים <i>The cunning artificer.</i>
  נבון לחש <i>The charmer.</i> Even he that understands to charm the serpents, will be taken away. According to some, the eloquent orator; comp. מתלחשים whispering (2 Sam. 12:19).4<i class="footnote">לחש, to whisper, to speak; 1st ,נבון לחש. One that understands to whisper, to conjure by whispering charming formulas. 2nd. One that understands to speak ; an orator.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  תעלולים <i>Babes.</i> The ת is not a radical letter; root עול to be young. Comp. עולל child (Jer. 6:11). העלולים is here an adjective, they that are young,5<i class="footnote">The adjective (שם התואר) includes those adjectives which in consequence of the qualified noun being omitted, are treated as nouns; <i>e.g.,</i> החכם the wise האיש החכם═, The wise man; העלולים, Young תעלולים אנשים═, Young men. More correctly this word may be explained as an abstract noun, which is used instead of the concrete ; childishness═children. but in chap. 66:4, it is a noun, childishness, delusions.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  וְנִנַּשׂ <i>And shall be oppressed.</i> Niphal; like נִצָּב (3:13), he is standing up. According to some, and shall oppress; the נ being radical, and נִנַּשׁ piel.
  ירהבו They will have power or dominion ;6<i class="footnote">A.V., Shall behave himself proudly.</i> comp. רהב power (51:9)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The house of his father.</i> His family.
  לכה <i>To thee.</i> It is the same as לך though having an additional שמלה לכה .ה thy clothing be to thee.7<i class="footnote">A.V., Thou hast clothing.</i> We do not ask thee to give us clothing. 
  <i>This ruin</i>. Jerusalem (comp. 5:8.).—This is just the style in which people speak while labouring under strong excitement.8<i class="footnote">This remark seems to refer to this ruin, which Jerusalem in her despair exclaims, while pointing to herself.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  יִשא <i>He will swear</i> (comp. לא תשא את שם ײ thou shalt not swear by the name of the Lord, Exod. 20:7).
  חובש <i>Ruler</i>.9<i class="footnote">A.V., Healer. According to I. E., 1st ,עצר═חבש, to keep or press together; 2nd, to rule. See note 20, c. i., and I. E. on Job 34:17.</i> It is the same verb as in הובש מכה ‘ dressing a wound ;’ comp. עֶצֶר power (Judg. 18:7). 
  <i>There is no clothing.</i> Even for myself.
  
  Verse 8
  
  כי לשונם ומעלליהם אל ה׳ <i>For their tongue and their doings with regard to the Lord</i>.10<i class="footnote">A.V., Are against the Lord.</i>
  למרות <i>To provoke</i>. ל has Pathah, because of the omission of ה, the characteristic of the Hiphil; להמרות ═ למרות comp. להנחותם ═ לנחותם to lead them (Ex. 13:21). 
  <i>The eyes of His glory</i>. Publicly.11<i class="footnote">The eyes of His glory are, according to Ibn Ezra, the eyes of all nature, which witness the actions done publicly.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  הכרת. According to some, the cutting off, derived from כרת to cut off, but more correctly, the knowing of; comp. הכירהו they knew him (Gen. 42:8); the Dagesh in כ indicates the omission of the radical נ which appears in ינכר He is known (Prov. 26:24).12<i class="footnote">The first explanation is probably rejected, because הכרת would then be status constructus with the definite article ; and this is very exceptional.</i> He who is able to judge of the constitution of the whole body from the face will find in it the declaration and confession of the truth; no further evidence is wanted.13<i class="footnote">Their evil designs are clearly written in their face, and easily to be discovered by those who are versed in reading countenances.</i>
  <i>And they tell their sin like Sodom.</i> They do not even conceal their sins; for he who does conceal them feels at least ashamed of what he has done.
  
  Verse 10
  
  אמרו According to some, Praise ye (comp. Dent. 26:17); I prefer Say ye, from אמר to say—in the heart or with the mouth.14<i class="footnote">In the heart or with the mouth—that is, to think or to declare—is added because the context—here as well as Deut. 26:17—requires rather the verb to think, to be convinced, than to speak. In his commentary on Deut. 27:11, I. E. confesses to have obtained this explanation from R. Jehudah Hallevi.</i>
  <i>Shall they eat.</i> They, that is, all the righteous (for these words have to be supplied);15<i class="footnote">The ellipsis is assumed by I. E. to explain the discord between the singular צדיק and the plural יאכלו.</i> as if to say, Do not think that only one righteous man shall enjoy the fruit of his actions. This verse is closely connected with the preceding.16<i class="footnote">The preceding verse concludes with exclaiming : Woe unto them, etc. In this verse it is shown that they might as well have enjoyed the divine blessings, for the righteous enjoy, etc.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  רע. <i>Bad.</i> According to some it is in apposition to אוי woe. Woe, evil, etc. I take it rather as an attribute to רשע woe to the hardened sinner.
  
  Verse 12
  
  נגשיו מעולל <i>Every one of his rulers is playful</i>.17<i class="footnote">A.V., Children are their oppressors. Compare 2:11.</i> The מ in מעולל is not essential; מעולל is an adjective, and not a participle.18<i class="footnote">מְעוֹלֵל is the regular form of the participle Polel of עלל, to do, to mock; according to I. E. it is an adjective, and has the same meaning as עוֹלֵל young, playful.</i>
  מישריך ═ מאשריך <i>They that lead thee.</i> א in מאשריך is instead of י, for the letters א ה ו י interchange; comp. 1:17.—They that ought to guide you mislead you.
  בלעו <i>They have destroyed.</i> (Literally, they have swallowed up.) They have destroyed the way to such an extent that it is no more to be recognised.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The Lord standeth up.</i> Therefore the Lord standeth up.19<i class="footnote">This remark of I. E. is to show that the prediction contained in this verse is the consequence of the preceding, and that the conjunction על כן therefore is to be supplied.</i> לריב <i>To plead.</i> It is not the noun, ריב the strife, with the preposition ל, but infinitive Hiphil; the same is to be said concerning. לדין <i>To judge</i>.—This verse refers to the punishments to be decreed by Him.
  עמים <i>People.</i> A great many; comp Deut. 32:19
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Ye have eaten up,</i> etc. How can you be the judges of my people, when you yourselves, etc. בערתם You <i>have eaten up.</i> Comp. Exod. 22:4. <i>The vineyard.</i> That is, Israel.
  
  Verse 15
  
  מלכם <i>What mean you ?</i> Dagesh in ל compensates for the omitted מה לכם ═ מלכם .ה is compounded, of two words, like (מה זה ═)מזה What is that (Exod. 4:3). 
  <i>Ye grind.</i> Metaphorically said, for you put to shame and contempt.
  
  Verse 16
  
  ומשקרות <i>And wantonly looking about.</i> In Rabbinical literature a woman of this class is called סקרנית (Bereshith Rabba, 100:19).
  וטפוף According to some, Speaking; comp. והטף And prophesy (Ez. 21:2); but the grammatical principles of the Hebrew language will not admit of this explanation ; according to others, Mincing—comp. אטיף, the Chaldæan translation of הציף He made overflow (Deut. 11:8)—‘ moving slowly, like one that swims upon the surface of the water.’ Others, again, derive it from טף Little ones (Est. 3:16), and I incline to this opinion ; walking slowly like a child. 20<i class="footnote">The first explanation makes טפוף related to נטף, to drop; Hiphil: to speak, to prophesy. The second derives it from צוף ═ טוף, to swim, to go slowly; the third takes it as a denominative from טף, child: to walk like a child.</i>
  תעכסנה <i>They put spurs.</i> They wear spurs on their feet, like riding-men; according to some, they make a tinkling with their spurs.
  
  Verse 17
  
  ושפח <i>And he will smite with a scab.</i> It has the same root as מספחת scab (Lev. 13:6), although written with שׂ; comp. בסורי ═ בשׂורי when I turn away (Hos. 9:12). 
  פתהן Some supply א, so that פאתהן ═ פתהן the locks of their head ; but I compare it rather with הפותות the hinges (1 Kings 7:50), that is, the back of the doors, and find in this verse the description of the plagues of the whole body, from the head to the foot.
  
  Verse 18
  
  עכסים Ornaments for the foot.
  שביסים Hapax legomenon; according to some, an ornament for the legs. 
  שהרנים A moonlike ornament of the girdle, derived from the Chaldæan סהרא moon; סהר (Song 7:2) is generally explained in the same way.
  
  Verse 19
  
  נטיפות Hap. leg. According to some, an ornament for the hair. 
  שרות An ornament for the ears; according to others, bracelets; comp. שרין the Chaldean translation of אצעדה bracelets (Num. 31:50). 
  רעלות Hap. leg. An ornament for the cheeks.
  
  Verse 20
  
  פארים comp. תפארת ornament; for the hands.
  צעדות An ornament for the arms; comp. אצעדה bracelet (which Saul wore on his arm, 2 Sam. 1:10). א of אצעדה is pleonastic, as the א in אזרוע (Jer. 32:21).
  קשרים A well-known ornament for the neck.
  בתי הנפש An ornament for the breast; the breast is called נפש soul, because it is the seat of the soul, it contains the heart.
  לחשים <i>Amulets.</i> Inscriptions on gold and silver, for a charm.
  
  Verse 21
  
  טבעות <i>Rings,</i> for the fingers.
  נזמי האף <i>Nose jewels;</i> I have already described them (Gen. 24:22)
  
  Verse 22
  
  מחלצות <i>Changeable suits of garments,</i> worn over the dress; comp. חלצתו his armour (2 Sam. 2:21), which is worn over the garments.20<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has אלה בגדים, which is evidently a mistake, and is to be altered to על הבגדים.</i>
  מעטפות <i>Mantles</i>. A dress wherein the woman wraps herself. According to some, מחלצות shifts; מעטפות trowsers.
  מטפחות <i>Vails</i> (comp. Ruth 3:15).
  הריטים According to some, a dress in the form of a Taleth21<i class="footnote">The scarf still worn by the Jews in prayer.</i> (this word has a similar meaning in Arabic 22<i class="footnote">حَرِيطَةٌ bag. But bag and Taleth not being very similar, the words קרוב מל ישמעאל, similar to the Arabic, contain perhaps a second explanation, so that three various different of the word חריטים are given, namely, Taleth, bag, figures. Before קרוב the word או, or, must then be added, which would better agree with the next או than the preceding יש אומרים, According to some. From the remark of I. E. in his commentary on Exodus (32:4), it appears that the second explanation is his own.</i>), or figures (comp. 8:1), as I shall explain further on (ibid.)
  
  Verse 23
  
  נליונים <i>Cloth</i> (cp. 8:1).
  סדינים <i>Fine linen</i> (cp. Pr. 31:24).
  צניפות An ornament for the head;
  רדידים. In Arabic,23<i class="footnote">رِدَاعٌ Mantle.</i> this word signifies a dress in form of a taleth. All these things here enumerated are, in general, articles of clothing, and vary with the fashion of the country.
  
  Verse 24
  
  בושם <i>Sweet smell.</i> It keeps the body fresh and healthy.
  מק <i>Rottenness</i> is nearly the opposite of the preceding. Root מקק, to rot; verb, ע״ע; comp. תמקנה They shall consume away (Zac. 14:2). 
  נקפה A noun; נ is radical; we may fairly compare with it ונקף And he shall cut down (10:34); its mean-is a kind of cutting.
  מעשה מקשה <i>Well set hair;</i> comp. עשה שפמו ולא Nor trimmed his beard (1 Sam. 19:25).
  פתיגיל A fine embroidered garment, which is worn over all the dresses. 
  כי תחת יופי According to Saadiah: for the contrary (תחת) is more fit for them; others take כויה ═ כי burning (Exod. 21:24); comp. ברויה ═ ברי (root רוה) with plenty (Job. 37:11); but this is contrary to the rules of the grammar, since ו in כויה is radical. I think the passage must be taken in this sense: For instead of beauty, the above-mentioned consumption, destruction and baldness shall come.24<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra rejects the identity of כי and רי ,כויה and רויה; he takes the ב in ברי as radical, and explains ברי pure; root כי תחת יופי .ברר is translated by Saadiah: إنَّ ٱلتَّبْدِيلُ أحْمَلُ لَهُم</i>
  
  Verse 25
  
  The women shall become widows in consequence of the death of their husbands in war. וגבורתך <i>And the men of thy strength.</i> Supply מתי the men of; comp. והנבואה עודד הנביא And the prophecy, the prophecy of the prophet Oded (2 Chr. 15:8)
  
  Verse 26
  
  ואנו <i>And they shall lament;</i> comp. באני In my sorrow (Deuter. 26:14); root און to lament, it is a weak verb (ע״ו); the accent is on the ultima. as in וסרו And shall depart (Exod. 8:1).25<i class="footnote">The laws of Hebrew accentuation demand that the bi-syllabic forms of verbs עֹוֹ and ע״ע should have the accent on the first syllable; אָנֽוּ is therefore an exception to the rule.</i>
  פתחיה <i>Her gates.</i> Those of Zion, which is mentioned at the beginning of the chapter.26<i class="footnote">Jerusalem is mentioned in the first verse of this chapter, Zion and Jerusalem are, however, the same, as a figure representing the Hebrew nation.</i>
  ונקתה <i>And she shall be desolate.</i> Comp. נקיון שנים cleanness of teeth (Am. 4:6).
  <i>She will sit.</i> The pronoun refers to Zion.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Seven.</i> That is, many; seven is used in this sense because it is the number of the days of the week.1<i class="footnote">Because the days are only counted to seven, this number is the highest of a series of numbers, and it has often been used to express the idea of a great quantity.</i> All this (that is mentioned in this verse) will happen in consequence of the death of the male persons in battle.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>The branch of the Lord</i>. Some refer this to Hezekiah; I think that it signifies the righteous portions of the inhabitants of Jerusalem that will be saved.
  צבי <i>Beauty</i> (comp. Ez. 20:6); according to some, desire; comp. the Chaldæan יצבא he desires (Dan. 4:14). R. Moses Hakkohen takes it literally:2<i class="footnote">According to R. Moses Hakkohen, the branch of the Lord ═ the branch, which grows by the will of the Lord.</i> God will send his blessing upon the plants and fruits.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>That is written,</i> etc. I shall explain this in the minor prophets (Mal. 3:16).3<i class="footnote">The words referred to are כתוב בשמים מכתב לא ימחק, What is written by God is a writing which can never be erased. It is a figurative expression for: it is quite sure, it is immutable.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  אם <i>For</i> or <i>when</i>.—The remainder will be called holy, when the Lord will have washed away all these from Zion.
  ידיח <i>Shall have purged;</i> comp. ידיחו they shall wash (Ez. 1. 38).
  בער <i>Removing;</i>4<i class="footnote">A.V., Burning.</i> comp. ובערת And thou shalt put away (Deut. 21:21)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  נא <i>Now.</i> נא is always identical in meaning with עתה now.1<i class="footnote">The identity of נא and עתה is often mentioned by our author, as if he thereby wished emphatically to exclude the meaning of I pray thee; compare Talmud Babli, Berachoth, p. 9, אין נא אלא ל׳ בקשה, the word נא means always ‘I pray thee,’ and Rashi on Gen. 19:18.</i>
  לידידי <i>Concerning</i>2<i class="footnote">A.V., To.</i> <i>my well-beloved;</i> comp. אמרי לי Say of me (Gen. 20:13). 
  לכרמו Touching his vineyard.
  ידידי <i>My well-beloved.</i> Root tri-literal דודי .(ידד) <i>My beloved.</i> Root bi-literal (דוד). 3<i class="footnote">I. E. calls the verb ע״ו biliteral, since the ו is never sounded. Compare Moznaim, <i>sub voce</i> השנײם, and Zahoth, on the biliteral verbs.</i>
  בקרן בן שמן  <i>In Keren Ben Shamen.</i> A beautiful spot among the vineyards of Jerusalem. According to some, בקרן On a hill. בן שמן Fruitful; comp. שָׁמֵן fat (30:23), לשׁד הַשָֽׁמֶן fat oil (Num. 11:8);4<i class="footnote">According to this opinion שָֽׁמֶן here and in Num. 11:8 has the same meaning as שָׁמֵֽן 30:23, fat, although having the accent on the first syllable, and in the second Segol instead of Zero. I. E. in the Commentary on Num. (11:8) rejects this explanation.</i> and this explanation is not incorrect.
  
  Verse 2
  
  ויעזקהו According to some: he sealed it; comp. the Chaldæan עזקתא Ring (3:21) for the Hebrew 5<i class="footnote">עזק would thus be a denominative of עזקא ring: to seal with the ring.</i>;טבעת but this gives no sense; I think that this word is hapax legomenon. In Arabic there is, however, a word of the same root, meaning fence or hedge (to fence). 
  ויסקלהו, Piel; he removed the stones thereof; the Kal, (סקל) has the meaning, to heap up stones; comp. ושרשך And he shall root thee out (Ps. 52:7).6<i class="footnote">וְשֵׁרֶשְׁךָ is derived from שׁׂרֶשׁ root; the Hiphil of the same verb signifies to take root. Similarly דֶשֶׁן ashes, Piël: to take away the ashes.</i> 
  ויטעהו מטע שרק ═ ויטעהו שרק And he planted it, the planting of a choicest vine.7<i class="footnote">That is, he planted it as carefully as the choicest vine is planted. This kind of ellipsis is very often assumed by I. E., and a great many phrases are explained by it. A.V., And planted it with the choicest vine.</i> The verbal substantive is implied in every form of the verb, whether past or future. 
  <i>Tower</i>. A place for the watchman to dwell in.
  <i>And also made a wine-press therein.</i> To press the vine within the vineyard.8<i class="footnote">The wine-press in the vineyard does not contribute to the production of good grapes; but it shows how firmly the owner hoped for good grapes, and how strong his desire was to prevent any loss of the flavour of the fruit by the transport.</i>
  באושים <i>Thorns;</i>9<i class="footnote">A.V., Wild grapes.</i> comp. באשה thorn (31:40).
  [The application of the parable is as follows:] <i>And he fenced it</i>. Palestine was filled with good houses and protected by strong walls.  <i>And he removed the stones thereof</i>. God expelled the Canaanites. <i>And built a tower.</i> The temple on Mount Moriah was built. <i>And also made a wine-press.</i> The altar of burnt-offering was erected. <i>And he looked that it should bring forth grapes,</i> that is righteous men.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And men of Judah.</i> And every man of Judah round about Jerusalem.10<i class="footnote">And ye men of Judah═And ye other men of Judah. The inhabitants of Jerusalem were also men of Judah.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>What could have been done,</i> etc. What good thing is left to be done for the vineyard that I have not yet done?
  מדוע <i>Wherefore.</i> A compound of two words,11<i class="footnote">מַה יָדוּעַ ═ מה רוע ═ מדוע : What is known. Compare מה ראית What sawest thou (Gen. 20:10). There are also many instances of the use of the phrase מה ראית in the meaning Why in Rabbinical Literature.</i> like (מה זה ═) מזה What is this (Exod. 4:2). (מה לכם═) מלכם What is it unto you (Is. 3:15)
  
  Verse 5
  
  משובחו <i>The hedge thereof.</i> Comp. שכים thorns (Num. 33:55).
  לבער <i>For pasture.</i> Comp. ובער And he feedeth (Exod. 22:4).
  <i>Break down the fence thereof.</i> By this the prophet indicates that the walls of the towns shall be destroyed.
  
  Verse 6
  
  בתה <i>Waste.</i> Comp. בתות The desolate places (7:19).
  יזמר <i>It shall be pruned.</i> זמורה branch is of the same root; זמר means to dress the vineyard by cutting off the branches.
  יעדר <i>It shall be digged.</i> עדר to dig, to prepare the vineyard by digging (comp. 7:25). 
  שמיר ושית Two kinds of thorns. The application of this figure is The wicked will increase.
  <i>The clouds.</i> The prophets are hereby meant; comp. Her prophets also find no vision from the Lord (Lam. 2:9).12<i class="footnote">Compare Let my doctrine drop like rain, let my word distil as the dew, etc. (Deut. 32:2).</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  The prophet now explains who is meant by the vineyard.
  משפח <i>Disease.</i>13<i class="footnote">A.V., Oppression. About the interchange between ש and ס, see I. E. on 3:17.</i> Comp. מספחת scab (Lev. 13:6)
  
  Verse 8
  
  הוי <i>Oh.</i> The sign for the vocative; or (אוי ═) woe. <i>That join house to house,</i> etc. That move the boundaries of the houses and fields according to their own interest. אין ═ אפס Not. 
  <i>Till there be no place.</i> Till they have taken away every place.
  הושבתם <i>That you may be placed</i>. Hophal of a verb 14<i class="footnote">ישב, To sit.</i>;פ״י comp. 15<i class="footnote">Hophal of ירד to go down.</i> והורד and it was taken down (Num. 10:17)
  
  Verse 9
  
  באזנָי באזנֵי ײ ═ באזני ײ To mine ears, the ears of the Lord, has come the report of the injustice which you have committed; comp. נביאכם ײ Your prophet, the prophet of the Lord (Num. 12:6); or, referring באזני to the prophet, supply אמר said, or קול came the voice of.16<i class="footnote">The question is, to whom does the personal pronoun in באזני refer, to the Lord or to the prophet? In either case we have here an ellipsis; in the first case we have to supply besides the verb hath come a noun in stat. constr., which governs the genitive of the Lord of hosts; in the second we must add, said, or came the voice of. The אני of the Hebrew text in this remark, as well as in that on 22:14, is a mutilation of אׇזְנֵי the ears of; the comparison with the instance quoted, and I. E. on Num. 12:6, leaves no doubt about it.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Ten.</i> A round number, meaning many.
  צמדי כרם <i>Pairs of vineyards</i>.17<i class="footnote">A. V., Acres.</i> They have removed the boundaries, and many vineyards were thus coupled together (נצמדים), combined into one.
  בת <i>Bath</i>. A measure. חמר <i>Homer;</i> the same as ten pairs of vineyards.18<i class="footnote">Homer, though signifying a certain measure, is in this place like ten pairs, etc., not to be taken strictly, but in the meaning of a great quantity. The Hebrew text has the words והחומר הוא עשרת כורים the Homer has ten Kur. This statement is contradicted by Ez. 45:14, where Homer and Kur are declared to be equal. The concluding words Bath and Epha are equal, show that the purpose of I. E.’s remarks is to explain the parallelism of this verse: ten pairs of vineyards—Homer, Bath—Epha. We read, therefore, צמדי כרם instead of .כורים</i> Bath and Epha are likewise equal.
  
  Verse 11
  
  משכימי <i>That rise up early</i>. Status constructus, although followed by the preposition ב; comp. השכוני באהלים that dwell in tents (Judg. 8:11);
  the same is the case with the following מאחרי בנשף, that continue until night. נשף The beginning of the night (comp. Prov. 7:9, Job 3:9); sometimes נשף is the time before daybreak, the dawning.19<i class="footnote">נֶשֶׁף signifies the transition from day to night, and from night to day; as a rule it is used for the twilight of the evening, but sometimes for dawn.</i> 
  ידליקם Causative. He will cause them to pursue; comp. דלקת Thou hast pursued (Gen. 31:36); others compare it with דאדלק, the Chaldæan translation of המבעיר, he that kindled (Exod. 22:5).20<i class="footnote">In the first explanation I. E. omits to show what has to be supplied as the second object; very probably it is wine or strong drink. According to the second explanation ײן ידליקם is to be translated till wine inflame them.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  כנור <i>Harp</i>. A well-known musical instrument.21<i class="footnote">This remark is quite superfluous, but very probably the comments on נבל and חליל elicited also—for the sake of completeness—a word for כנור.</i> 
  נבל A musical instrument with ten holes.22<i class="footnote">נבל is, according to this explanation, the same as נבל עשור (Ps. 33:2), which is generally believed to be a musical instrument of ten strings. The explanation given here by I. E. is quoted by him in the commentary on Ps. 33:2, as the opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen with regard to נבל צשור, while he himself is of the opinion that these two words signify two different musical instruments.</i> חליל <i>Pipe</i>. Likewise a hollow instrument; חליל is of the same root as חלול, hollow. 
  <i>And they regard not the work of the Lord</i>. Many explain, They regard, etc., because he who is given to drunkenness does not regard the ways of the Lord; comp. Whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise (Prov. 20:1); but my opinion is, that by the work of the Lord those punishments are to be understood which the Lord was bringing over Israel, when the ten tribes went into exile.
  
  Verse 13
  
  ועם כבודו ═ וכבודו And the people of his glory, according to the rule of ellipsis; in the same way מח׳ צחה צמא ═ צחה צמא Men dried up with thirst.23<i class="footnote">It is not clear why Ibn Ezra assumes the ellipsis of עחה ,מתי being an adjective agreeing with המון; even if it were a noun, thirst, and an ellipsis is to be assumed, that of המון is the one which recommends itself most as being more in accordance with the instances of ellipsis usually quoted by Ibn Ezra (see note 16); perhaps he read מֵתֵי רעב dying of hunger, instead of רעב מְתֵי men of hunger (that is, hungry men), and constructed accordingly the following phrase מֵתֵי צחה צמא ‘dying of thirst.’</i> 
  צחה is nearly the same as צמא thirsty; comp. בצחצחות in drought (58:11); צח (18:4), the pure and dry air.24<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text, ונזרתו האור הזך והצח, are corrupt. ונזרתו demands a biblical quotation containing some word of the root צח, and this is not given. Very probably the original had האויר הזך והצח ונזרתו כחם צח עלי אזר. The translation of the passage is based on this emendation.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  נפשה <i>Her breath</i>.25<i class="footnote">A. V., Herself.</i> נפש is the breath that comes out of the mouth; comp. נפשו his breath (Job 41:21).
  ופערה <i>And opened;</i> comp. פערו they opened (Job 29:23).
  לבלי חק <i>Unusually</i>.26<i class="footnote">חק statute, rule.</i> 
  ועלז בה And all that rejoice in it. or, and rejoicing will be—to others—at his fall. According to R. Jonah, the phrase ועלז בה And rejoicing, or laughing will be in it, describes that kind of laughter which may sometimes be noticed in people at the moment of death.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>And the mean man,</i> etc. And all men of the nations which surround Judah will be humbled.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>But the Lord of hosts,</i> etc. Then the excellence of the Lord will be known by the judgment (משפט) which He will have executed on Israel, and His holiness will be revealed by the kindness (צדקה) shown to them.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Then shall the lambs feed,</i> etc. Judah will then be desolate, and lambs will feed therein, as if they were driven to be there.
  כדברם <i>As if they were driven</i>.27<i class="footnote">A. V., After their manner.</i> Comp. the Chaldee דבר to lead, to drive; and דברת floats (1 Kings 5:25).
  מחים <i>Strong lambs</i>,28<i class="footnote">A.V., The fat ones.</i> that have marrow (מוח) in their bones; comp. ממוחים things full of marrow (25:6). וחרבות <i>And the waste places of;</i> comp. חרבן destruction. It is the construct state; supply הארץ the land; comp. ושכורת And drunken of SORROW. (51:21). משא ח׳ ל׳ ═ חמר לחם An ass’s LOAD of bread (1 Sam. 16:20). גרים <i>Strangers,</i> that will then dwell there. מחים (Adjective,28*<i class="footnote">Comp. c. iii. note 5.</i> strong lambs) is the objective case; גרים strangers, the subject.29<i class="footnote">The translation of the passage according to this explanation would be, And in the waste places of the land will strangers eat the fat lambs. This is against the accents which join מחים rather with חרבות than with יאכלו.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  מושכי העון That fasten iniquity.
  וכעבות העגלח חטאה supply הם משכים And draw sin as if it were with a cart rope. המאה is here a noun; it is the same as חטאת sin (comp. Exod. 34:7); it can also be an adjective, signifying a woman that committeth many sins.
  
  Verse 19
  
  ימהר Either transitive, let him bring hastily; comp. מהרו (Esth. 5:5), fetch hastily; or intransitive, let him make speed; and only יחישה transitive, let him accelerate. As to two verbs in the future following each other without conjunction, comp. אל תרבו תדברו Talk no more (1 Sam. 2:3).—Let these prophecies be fulfilled, that we may see whether they are true.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Woe unto them that call,</i> etc. They wish that these evils shall come, they are therefore like those that have no reason.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>Woe unto them that are wise,</i> etc. They do not know how to discern between good and evil, yet think themselves wise.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine,</i> etc. They lose their reason through drunkenness. 
  לנסוך ═ למסוך To pour out,30<i class="footnote">A. V., To mingle.</i> though these words have different roots, נסך and מסך. Comp. מסכה she poured (Prov. 9:2)
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Which justify the wicked,</i> etc. Wine deprives them of understanding, so does a bribe.
  עקב <i>For,</i> the reward that comes generally at the end;31<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Deut. 7:12 and 8:20.</i> comp. עקבו Its rear (Jos. 8:13).
  וצדקת צדיקים יסירו ממנו <i>And the righteousness of each of the righteous they take away from him;</i> comp. בנות צעדה (Gen. 49:20).32<i class="footnote">Comp. 2:11.</i>
  
  Verse 24
  
  קש <i>Stubble</i>. Objective case. לשון אש <i>The flame of fire</i>.33<i class="footnote">A. V., The fire.</i> Subject.
  חשש <i>Chaff;</i> comp. 33:11.
  בלהבה ═ להבה through the flame; comp. בששת ═ ששת in six (Exod. 20:11); בבית ═ בית in the house (2 Kings 18:15); for ירפה, the predicate to חשש, is an intransitive verb.34<i class="footnote">The passage is therefore to be translated And chaff is consumed by the flame.</i> 
  <i>Their root shall be as rottenness</i>. Their root will rot, and they will not be able to stand.
  כאבק <i>As the dust of</i>.35<i class="footnote">A. V., As dust. In our text כָּאָבָק is the absolute state. Ibn Ezra seems to have read כַּאֲבַק.</i> It is the construct state; supply הארץ the earth, or a similar word. <i>Their root. Their blossom</i>. The parents and their children.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>Therefore</i>. For having forsaken His law.
  <i>And the hills did tremble,</i> in consequence of the heavy blow.
  כסוחה <i>Cast away;</i>36<i class="footnote">A. V., Torn.</i> the כ is radical; comp. כסוחה thrown down37<i class="footnote">A. V., Cut down.</i> (Ps. 80:17). These two words are various forms of the same root.38<i class="footnote">כַּסּוּחָה is an adjective, כְּסוּחָה is participle passive Kal.</i>
  
  Verse 26
  
  <i>And He will lift up,</i> etc. It will be as if He lifted up a banner to all nations to come and to fight against Israel; the same is meant by And will hiss, etc. 
  בזמן קל ═ קל Swiftly; or it is an adjective, attribute to the subject contained in the verb יבא he, a swift one, will come, and this latter explanation is the right one.
  
  Verse 27
  
  ינום <i>He will slumber</i>; נום signifies a sleep of a less profound kind than ישן. He will not slumber, much less will he sleep.
  נתק <i>It is broken</i>. Niphal.
  
  Verse 28
  
  כצר <i>Like flint</i>; comp. צורים flint39<i class="footnote">A. V., Sharp.</i> (Jos. 5:3); the form of the noun varies.40<i class="footnote">From the same root two nouns can be constructed of different forms, but having the same meaning, like צר and צור flint; there is, according to I. E., no standard for the inflexion of the noun as there is for the verb : all verbs are conjugated after פעל.</i> 
  וגלגליו The wheels of his chariots; they41<i class="footnote">It is not clear whether the wheels or the chariots are to be understood; in the first case this remark is quite superfluous; in the second it is perhaps to explain the omission of of his chariots as easily supplied by the reader.</i> are known. סופה ═ כסופה כמוץ. As the chaff of the storm.42<i class="footnote">A. V., Like a whirlwind.</i> They will come as quickly as the chaff driven by the storm.
  
  Verse 29
  
  וינהום <i>And he shall roar</i>. Irregular form; because regularly the guttural letter widens the vowel, and causes the form of the future to be like 43<i class="footnote">Instead of יִפְעוֹל. See Zahoth, on the Kal.</i>,יִפְעַל the second radical of the verb פעל being a guttural; in the conjugation tables, however, no notice is taken of this property, else we should not have in the paradigm the standard form of the future ויפליט 
  יִפְצוֹל <i>And he lets escape</i>.44<i class="footnote">A, V., And shall carry it away safe.</i> He lets escape the prey, as I think, in order to see whether there is any one to deliver it.
  
  Verse 30
  
  עליו <i>Against him:</i> against Israel.
  <i>Like the roaring of the sea,</i> etc.; <i>behold darkness</i>. For the light shall then be withheld from the earth. Comp. darkness of water45<i class="footnote">When great storms stir up the sea, clouds usually cover the sky and conceal the heavenly luminaries. The figure of the roaring of the sea is therefore followed by that of darkness.</i> (Ps. 18:12). 
  <i>And if he look unto the land,</i> etc. For they46<i class="footnote">They, the hostile armies, whose attack is compared to the roaring of the sea, will be on the land—that is to say, will reach the inhabitants of the land, the Israelites—and cause them harm and distress; they will not be like the roaring of the sea, for that does not hurt the people on land.</i> will be on the land, not on the sea. <i>And behold darkness</i>. Darkness is here a figure for the distress of the heart. ונבט According to some it is Niphal, And it is looked; but I think it is Piel, And he looks, and its subject is Israel, the same to whom reference is made in the word עליו, as I have already stated. 
  צר ואור According to some, Sun and moon; according to others, Moon and sun, because the moon is small (צַר) if compared with the sun; R. Adonim thinks that ה is omitted, צהר═צר light; for the letters א ה ו י are sometimes present in a word when they are superfluous, and at others omitted where they properly form part of the root; but he is mistaken, because ה does not belong to the vowel letters, and cannot be dropped except at the end of a word, where it replaces א. I take צר literally; it has here the same meaning as in Ps. 119:143, namely, distress, or—being an adjective—distressed. Palestine will be darkened by distress as well as by the sun, which will cast a gloom over her at the time of her destruction; for a mist will rise and hide the sun.
  בעריפיה <i>In her destructions.</i>47<i class="footnote">A. V., In the heavens thereof.</i> Comp. יערף (Hos. 10:2) He will destroy; similar to it is וערפתו And break its neck (Exod. 13:13)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>In the year that King Uzziah died</i>. Our sages said that died is here used for became a leper;1<i class="footnote">Comp. Rashi, <i>ad locum,</i> and Talmud Babli Nedarim, 64: There are four persons who, though living, may be counted as dead: the poor, the blind, the leper, the childless.</i> for when Uzziah entered the temple to offer the incense,2<i class="footnote">On that occasion, Uzziah was struck with leprosy (2 Kgs. 15:5, and 2 Chr. 26:20, 2 Chr. 26:21).</i> the earthquake3<i class="footnote">At which, as some believe, Isaiah hinted by the words, And the posts of the door moved. See Rashi on ver. 4. The earthquake, which took place during the reign of King Uzziah, is mentioned Amos 1:1, and Zac. 14:5. Compare also Seder Olam, Amos prophesied before, Isaiah during the earthquake.</i> took place. This may be true; but מות can also be taken literally; in that case the death of Uzziah must be placed in the same year in which Isaiah became prophet; no objection can be raised from In the days4<i class="footnote">In the days (1:1) appears to mean in the midst of the reign of, since ימים sometimes signifies years. Ibn Ezra anticipates this objection and refutes it by referring to the literal meaning of ימים days, which may of course be applied to a part of a year. Thus the words in the days of Uzziah admit the supposition, that Isaiah commenced his prophetical career in the last year of the reign of Uzziah.</i> of Uzziah (1:1), since even months might have passed between Isaiah’s initiation as prophet and the death of Uzziah. This chapter contains the first prophecy of Isaiah. 
  <i>High and lifted up</i>. Attributes to throne (כסא), not, as many thought, to the Lord. The throne5<i class="footnote">The throne כסא הכבוד is, according to I. E., the sphere or force (גלגל) that encompasses and moves all the remaining spheres. The whole Universe is divided into three parts; <i>a</i>. עולם העליון the highest world, described as spiritual, indivisible, and unchangeable; <i>b</i>. עולם התיכון the middle world, or היכל the divine temple, described as being of a mixed nature, containing bodiless forms, and also bodies, but of a pure and unchangeable substance; <i>c</i>. עולם השפלות the lowest world, the earth and the fulness thereof, consisting of bodies of all description. The forms and bodies of the middle world are contained in ten spheres : sun, moon, and five planets in seven spheres, the large body of stars in the eighth, the Zodiac in the ninth, the tenth is the throne.—The angels inhabit the middle world. See I. E. on Ps. 8:4, and on Dan. 10:21.</i> is above the Hajoth6<i class="footnote">חיות lit. living beings, signify a certain class of angels, frequently mentioned by Ezekiel (1:5, 13, etc.).</i> as I shall explain on Ezekiel.7<i class="footnote">The commentary of Ibn Ezra on Ezekiel, promised by &lt;underline&gt;him&lt;/underline&gt; repeatedly, is not known.</i> 
  <i>And his train</i>. The train of the throne; kings usually have their thrones covered with drapery.
  <i>Seraphim</i>. The prophet calls them Seraphim—<i>i.e.</i>, burning ones—because they seared his mouth. 
  <i>Stood by Him</i>.8<i class="footnote">A. V., Above it stood.</i> Comp. 1 Kings 22:19. Anthropomorphism drawn from the custom of great kings.
  What the wings mean I shall explain on the visions of Ezekiel.7<i class="footnote">The commentary of Ibn Ezra on Ezekiel, promised by him repeatedly, is not known.</i> 
  <i>He covered his face</i>. Comp. And Moses hid his face (Exod. 3:6). <i>He covered his feet</i>, out of reverence. 
  <i>He did fly</i>, to carry the message of the Lord.
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And one cried unto another</i>. The number of the seraphim is not mentioned; some believe they were two, but I am of opinion that there were many. 
  <i>Holy, holy, holy</i>. Repeated thrice, to express the continuity of the declaration. Comp. Jer. 7:4, Jer. 22:29. 
  <i>Holy</i>. An adjective. Holiness is an essential attribute of the Lord; it is therefore the same in every place. God showed Isaiah this vision, that he might purify himself from the uncleanness of the lips; for the Lord is holy, and so also should be His servants and messengers. 
  <i>Hosts</i>. Angels that are above.
  <i>The whole earth</i>, etc. Although He is holy above, still His glory filleth the earth below. He who explains מלא כל הארץ that which filleth the whole earth, that is, its inhabitants, and compares it with וּמְלאׇׁהּ and the fulness thereof (Ps. 24), is mistaken.9<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra does not show why this explanation is wrong; nor does he give any opinion of his own as to what form מְלאׁ is; the quotation, Num. 14:21, only shows that a phrase like the glory of the Lord filleth the whole earth, is correct; but he fails to prove the identity of this quotation with הארץ כבודו מלא כל. In his commentary on Num. 22:18, however, he explains בֵּיתוֹ מָלֵא כסף ═ מְלאׁ ביתו כסף and quotes מלא כל הארץ as a parallel.</i> Comp. ה׳ את כל הארץ וימלא כבוד And the whole earth will be full of the glory of the Lord. (Num. 14:21)
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And the posts of the threshold moved</i>. It was as if the threshold would move away from its place.
  אמות <i>Posts</i>. About the meaning of the word there is no question; in this sense, it is, according to some,10<i class="footnote">I. E. probably derives אמות in this verse from אַמׇּה cubit, arm, comparing the two doorposts with two arms.</i> hapax legomenon. 
  ההמון הקורא מקול ═ םקול הקורא At the voice of the multitude that cried.
  The verse begins with the past וינועו, and continues with the future ימלא, because the Hebrew language has no special form for the imperfect tense; past and future are therefore used for it promiscuously.11<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 1:21 and Chap. i., Note 43.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  נדמיתי <i>I am undone</i>. I am cut off from the company of the holy ones; comp. ודמיתי And I will destroy (Hos. 4:5). Some compare it with דׂמִּי Be silent (Ps. 62:6). This view also may be correct.
  <i>A man of unclean lips</i>. The prophet was a man of unclean lips, I think, because he grew up with the Israelities, that were unclean in deeds and words, and he learnt their way of speaking; comp. And he warned me not to go the way of this people (8:11); therefore he says, And in the midst of a people of unclean lips I am dwelling. 
  <i>For mine eyes have seen the king</i>, who is holy, and whom I was afraid to anctify because of the uncleanness of my lips. Although he says, Mine eyes have seen, etc., it is but in a prophetical vision that he saw Him.
  
  Verse 6
  
  ויעׇף <i>Then flew</i>. As written here, with a short kamez under ע, it is derived from עוף to fly; but ויעַף (Jud. 4:21), where the ע has a pathah, is derived from עיף to be weary.
  רצפה <i>A live coal</i>. Comp. רצפים coals (1 Kings 19:6).
  <i>With tongs</i>. As men use to do.
  <i>From off the altar</i>. Where the fire is holy, where there is no strange fire.
  
  Verse 7
  
  זה <i>This</i>, namely, הׇאֵשׁ the fire; אֵשׁ is used also as a masculine noun.12<i class="footnote">I. E. does not refer זה to רצפה, because the former is masculine, the latter feminine; he supplies therefore הָאֵשׁ the fire, which, though generally used as a feminine noun, is sometimes constructed with the masculine form of an adjective; comp. אש להט flaming fire (Ps. 104:4).</i> 
  <i>Thy sin</i>. The sinning by words; for he spoke frivolously, like his fellow-men.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>For us</i>. He speaks now to the seraphim; therefore he says, for us (plural).13<i class="footnote">For us is, according to Ibn Ezra, equal to for myself and you, the Seraphim; by this interpretation he avoids referring the plural for us to God.</i> 
  <i>Here am I, send me</i>. Since my lips are pure, I am fit to be the messenger, but I was not before. From these words I infer that this chapter contains Isaiah’s first prophecy.14<i class="footnote">He declares that he was before unfit for bearing the message of the Most Holy.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Hear ye, indeed</i>, etc. Some assert that God does not accept the repentance of the sinner, when his earthly punishment is already decreed, to cancel the sentence. R. Moses Hakkohen is of opinion that this passage describes the benefit the people will derive from listening to the good advice of the prophet; that they will be delivered from their afflictions.15<i class="footnote">R. Moses Hakkohen explains the verse thus: Listen to the words of the prophet, and you will not suffer any of the threatened evils; but this opinion is rejected by Ibn Ezra on account of the following verse, which is the continuation of this, and leaves no doubt about its meaning; according to his opinion the prophet says, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; it is of no use, because it is too late.</i> This is, however, contradicted by Lest they return and be healed. The first explanation is the right one.
  
  Verse 10
  
  השמן <i>Make fat</i>. According to some it is infinitive, like הקטר To burn incense (1 Sam. 3:16); and הׇשַׁע likewise, like הׇרַע To do evil (Lev. 5:4); but this cannot be so, because of the conjunction פן lest.16<i class="footnote">Since the part beginning with lest is the secondary sentence, the preceding must be the principal one; and השמן ,השע, the verbs of the principal sentence, cannot be Infinitives.</i> They are all rather imperative forms. We know that the prophet cannot make the heart fat; he shall only declare their heart to be so; there are many instances like it.
  הׇשַׁע <i>Shut</i>. Comp. תשעינה Will be shut (32:3). In Chaldee, this word שעה has the same meaning.17<i class="footnote">Comp. Lev. 14:42, 43, and the Chaldæan translation.</i> The imperative Hiphil ought to be הֶשֶׁע like הֶרֶף, but the guttural letter ע causes the alteration; the form הָשַׁע can also be derived from a verb (שעע) ע״ע
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>How long</i>. The prophet wants to know how long this misfortune shall last, that the people shall not understand nor repent. The answer is, Till the land be desolate.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>And have removed</i>. He will take them far away, and bring them into a distant country.
  העזובה <i>The forsaken land</i>.18<i class="footnote">A. V., Forsaking. I. E. supplies הארץ the land.</i> Adjective or participle passive Kal.
  
  Verse 13
  
  ועוד בה וגו׳ <i>And yet in it shall be</i>, etc. According to some: Ten more kings will rule over Judah before the exile, and then ושבה והיתה לבער it18*<i class="footnote">The kingdom.</i> shall again be removed19<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall return and shall be eaten.</i>: comp. ובערת And thou shalt put away (Deuter. 21:21); others compare לבער with תבערו You shall kindle (Exod. 35:3)—and the number of kings from that time, Uzziah included, was really ten. Some explain, the tenth part will be left in the land. Grammatically, עשיריה is an adjective, the tenth; but different from עשירית the tenth part; comp. שלישיה (19:24) the third. It is, therefore, clear that עשיריה refers to the number of kings.20<i class="footnote">עשיריה being an adjective, and the feminine noun מלכות being supplied, the phrase ועוד בה עשיריה וגו״ is explained by I. E., But yet in it shall be a tenth reign, and then it shall again, etc.</i>
  אשר בשלכת <i>Which were in Shalecheth</i>.21<i class="footnote">A. V., When they cast their leaves.</i> Two trees were in the gate Shalecheth, which were exceedingly strong.21*<i class="footnote">The gate Shalecheth is mentioned 1 Chr. 26:16; but for the two trees no other authority is known than the oak and terebinth of this verse.</i> Those that take לשכת ═ שלכת are wrong, as well as those that derive it from השליך he cast; for whoever is able to say such things has no knowledge of grammar.22<i class="footnote">שלכת is a form derived from the Piel; but השליך is Hiphil; this is however, no valid objection, since the Piel has often the meaning of the Hiphil.</i>
  מצבת בם <i>Substance is in them</i>. They will still remain and stand firmly for ever; the comparison of the people with a tree is by no means uncommon; comp. for as the days of a tree, etc. (65:22). 
  <i>Holy seed will be the substance thereof</i>. Holy seed will they be that will remain after that. Those that would come back from the Babylonian exile are here hinted at.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>And he could not</i>. Pekah ben Remaliahu is meant; comp. Aram is confederate with Ephraim, in the next verse.1<i class="footnote">From this Ibn Ezra infers that Ephraim and its king Pekah were the principal enemies of Judah.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>Ephraim</i>. The kingdom of the ten tribes is called Ephraim, because their first king Jeroboam was of that tribe (1 Kings 2:26). 
  עם═על <i>With</i>; comp. האנשים על הנשים The men with the women (Exod. 35:22)
  
  Verse 3
  
  נא <i>Now</i>.2<i class="footnote">See chap. v., note 1.</i> <i>Shear Yashub</i>. The name of the prophet’s son, as I shall explain (ver. 14).
  בנך <i>Thy son</i>. Those that derive בנך from בינה understanding understand nothing of grammar.3<i class="footnote">Thine understanding would be in Hebrew בִּינָתְךָ.</i>
  תעלת <i>Ditch</i> (comp. 1 Kings 18:38), where the water is running; while בְרֵכָה pool signifies a gathering of rain water; many derive בְּרֵכָה from בְּרָכָה blessing, its water coming from a blessed place, from heaven.
  
  Verse 4
  
  חִשָּׁמֵ֨ר Accent on the last syllable. This word is to be compared with שמרים dregs, lees (25:6.), שמריו ושקם הוא על He has settled on his lees (Jerem. 48:11), and explained, Remain on thy lees (that is remain quiet), for הִשָּֽׁמֶר Take heed has the accent on the last syllable but one; and besides, the following Fear not proves the correctness of this explanation.4<i class="footnote">השמר is parallel to אל הירא as השקט to לבבך אל ירך, and all these verbs appear to have a similar meaning, while Take heed, and Fear not are just the reverse in meaning the one of the other. השמר means therefore, according to I. E., remain quiet.</i> 
  והשקט Transitive verb Make quiet; supply נפשך thyself or עמך thy people.
  <i>Tails of smoking firebrands</i>. The prophet compares these kings to the tails of firebrands—אודים firebrands comp. Zach. 3:2—because they are like the remnant of a firebrand that smokes, but cannot burn; and adds. In the fierce anger because it is by their fierce anger that they are like tails of firebrands.
  
  Verse 5
  
  יען <i>Because</i>. י is perhaps the preformative of the future.5<i class="footnote">Literally, It will correspond, It will be according to. From this the meaning because is derived.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  ונקיצנה Transitive verb, let us cause her to be distressed because of us; the suffix נה her, refers to Jerusalem; the following, Let us make a breach therein, proves the correctness of this interpretation.6<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to derive from this that the suffix נָה refers to a fortified town, as Jerusalem was, and not to the land or people of Judah. Comp. Targum and Rashi ad locum.</i> <i>The son of Tobel</i>. According to some6*<i class="footnote">א and ב ,ג and נ ,מ and נ, and so on, are put for each other (אלפא ביתא דאל״בם).</i> 
  טבאל is by a certain interchange of letters the same as רמלא, and בן טבאל therefore the same as בן רמליהו; this is nonsense, because Ben Remaliahu is mentioned before, and he says with Aram, Let us set a king in the midst of it, the son of Tobel. Others say that טָבְאַל means טׂב אֵלֵינוּ good for us, but אַל can only be taken as equal to לא, and בן טבאל would then be בן טבלא ═ good for nothing; but I conclude that it is the name of some famous prince in Israel or Aram.
  
  Verse 7
  
  תקום <i>Shall stand</i>. Supply זאת העצה this counsel; for יעץ he has taken counsel is mentioned above (ver. 5), and I stated already (5:2) that the verb contains implicitly a verbal noun, when it is not directly mentioned.
  
  Verse 8
  
  כי <i>Although</i>, Comp. כי עם קשה ערף הוא Although they be a stiffnecked people. (Exod. 34:9.) This plan will not be realised, although Rezin and Pekah besiege Jerusalem. 
  <i>And yet</i>7<i class="footnote">A. V. Within.</i> <i>threescore, etc</i>. Comp. the common phrase so and so many years are still left before such and such an event will take place. ב in בעוד is superfluous as in (טרם═)בטרם before. These sixty-five years begin with the year of the earthquake, that happened in the days of Uzziah, when Amos prophesied7*<i class="footnote">This is not quite correct, since Amos prophesied two years before the earthquake (Amos 1:1.)</i> And Israel will surely go into exile (Amos 7:11). Comp. And it was at the end of forty years (2 Sam. 15:7.)8<i class="footnote">No mention is there made when the 40 years began, but it is certain that they did not begin with the event recorded immediately before; in the same way the sixty-five years here are not to be counted from the year of this prophecy, but, according to Ibn Ezra, from the year of the earthquake in the reign of Uzziah.</i>
  יֵחַת <i>Shall be broken;</i> comp. החתות Thou hast broken (9:3); it is Niphal, like יִמַּס (13:7) Will be melted מֵעָם <i>By a people</i>.9<i class="footnote">A. V. That it be not a people.</i> Evil shall befall them by means of a people that will come against them. יֵחַת can also be Kal of a verb נחת ,פ״נ to go down, (like יִגַּשׁ he will approach; comp. תֵּחַת It comes down) (Prov. 17:9); הנחת Cause to come down (Joel 3:11), where the נ is not omitted. The meaning of יֵחַת מֵעָם is accordingly: They will go down and be no more considered as a nation.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>And the head of, etc</i>. As I explained.10<i class="footnote">In the preceding verse כי was explained to signify Although; this verse is the continuation of it, and וכי ראש═וראש And although the head, etc.</i> 
  <i>If you will not believe</i>. Supply speak, or ask for a sign; wherefore immediately succeeds, And the Lord, etc., Ask thee a sign. But it appears that when the prophet said, If ye will not believe, etc., Ahaz did not answer.
  כי לא תאמנו <i>Because there is no truth in you</i>11<i class="footnote">You do not believe, because your own words are not trustworthy. A. V., Surely ye shall not be established.</i>; comp. ויאמנו דבריכם So shall your words be verified (Gen. 42:20)
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Unto Ahaz</i>. Through Isaiah; comp. And the Lord spake unto Manasseh and unto his people (2 Chr. 33:10).12<i class="footnote">The inference is drawn from the words unto his people, since it is evident that God spoke to the whole people only through the prophets.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  העמק שאלה. Two consecutive imperatives without the conjunctive ו; comp. התאחדי הימיני Go thee one way, go on the right hand (Ez. 21:16). שְׁאָלָה Imperative, like שְׁמָעָה hear (Dan. 9:19). Ask, and touch the depth with the question, or ask on high above. Many take both העמק and הגבה as infinitives.13<i class="footnote">As infinitives they must be connected with אות a sign, and שְׁאָלָה must then have the same meaning as שְׁאׂלָה grave.—Ask for a sign, that he do anything either below in the depth of the earth or on high in heaven.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>I will not ask</i>, etc. From the answer of the prophet we conclude that the words of Ahaz must be taken in a bad sense: I shall not ask nor shall I try Him, for I know that He cannot do what I should ask Him.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>To weary men</i>. To make them tired of a thing which they have tried to accomplish, so that they become unable to continue their efforts. Because you are kings, and people cannot resist you, you think the same about the ways of God.14<i class="footnote">You think, that in the same way, as men become weary in their resistance against you, God is weary and unable to oppose your plans.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Therefore the Lord himself</i> etc. Though you do not ask a sign, He will give it you. It is to me a matter of surprise that there are those who say the prophet here refers to Jesus, since the sign was given to Ahaz, and Jesus was born many years afterwards; besides, the prophet says, For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land shall be forsaken; but the countries of Ephraim and Syria were wasted in the sixth year of Hezekiah, and15<i class="footnote">The following is added to show that The land shall be forsaken, can only refer to Syria and Israel; both kingdoms were successively conquered by Assyria in the time of Ahaz and Hezekiah.</i> it is distinctly said of whose two kings, etc. Many make the mistake of identifying Immanuel with Hezekiah; they cannot be the same, granting even this prophecy to have been uttered at the beginning of the reign of Ahaz; he reigned only sixteen years, and Hezekiah was at the death of Ahaz twenty-five years old. According to others, Immanuel is another son of Ahaz, and others again take the names (Immanuel, Maher Shalal and Shear Yashub) as symbolical of the kingdom; but if so, what meaning would be in the child’s knowing good and evil and in Maher Shalal calling father and mother? (8:4). I think that Immanuel is the son of Isaiah, as well as Maher Shalal; the latter is proved by And I went unto the prophetess, etc. (8:3). Shear Yashub is similarly related to the prophet (ver. 3); each of the three sons received a name that contained some hint at future events; Immanuel implied that God would help them and be with them during the troubles caused by the two kings; Maher Shalal, that the time for the exile of Samaria had arrived; and Shear Yashub, that the remnant of Israel would repent; this explanation is well borne out by the words, Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders. Comp. The children which the Lord hath graciously given to thy servant (Gen. 33:5).16<i class="footnote">This quotation is to prove that the words, the children which the Lord has given me refer to the true children of the prophet, not to pupils, and that they are not used in any other figurative sense.</i> Those that in the former passage regard children as equivalent to pupils must produce us some analogy from Scripture.17<i class="footnote">It is hardly necessary to refer to the great many instances, where the listener or reader is addressed as My son, but Ibn Ezra speaks of the whole phrase, children whom the Lord hath given me, and to take that in a figurative sense is not possible without some analogous examples.</i> Isaiah himself was a sign and an example concerning Egypt (20:3).—The Gaon says that the sign consisted in the child being a male child;18<i class="footnote">This was foretold by the prophet (ver. 14).</i> but in my opinion the sign was that the child was to eat butter and honey; for it is not usual that children eat these things immediately after their birth.19<i class="footnote">If this be the right explanation, the most important point in the sign is omitted from the text, namely, that the child will eat those things <i>immediately</i> after its birth.</i> 
  We know that a male child is called נער, a female child נערה or עלמה—the feminine of עֶלֶם—whether she be a virgin or not; for עלמה signifies a person of a certain age, like the masculine עלם; and in דרך גבר בעלמה the way of a man with a young woman20<i class="footnote">A. V. the way of a man with a maid.</i> (Prov. 30:19) עלמה is certainly not a virgin; because at the beginning of that passage it is said, which I know not (ibid. 18).
  וקראת <i>And shall call</i>. Subject is, העלמה; comp. וחטאת And it sinneth (Ex. 5:16).21<i class="footnote">וקראה ,וחטאה═וקראת ,והטאת, third person sing. fem. past of Kal.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  ברע <i>The bad</i>.22<i class="footnote">A.V., the evil.</i> The bad food; as הטוב the good means the good food.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>For before the child shall know</i>, etc. Some assume that such is the case at the age of twenty years, because of the words of Moses, From twenty years old, etc. (Exod. 30:14); if so, this prophecy must have been delivered after the second year of the reign of Ahaz.23<i class="footnote">Ahaz reigned sixteen years; the exile of Israel took place in the sixth year of King Hezekiah; from the second of Ahaz till the exile are twenty years.</i> But it is possible24<i class="footnote">Necessary is expected after I. E.’s remark on ver. 15.</i> that an earlier age than twenty is meant.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>The Lord shall bring unto thee</i>, etc. When Samaria and Damascus will be exiled, then Sennacherib shall come against Judah.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>The fly</i>. The host is compared to a fly.
  <i>The rivers of Egypt</i>. The king of Assyria conquered Egypt; therefore the Egyptians had to come to assist him.
  
  Verse 19
  
  וְנָחֽוּ <i>And shall rest</i>. Accent on the last syllable; comp. שָֽׂמוּ (Gen. 40:15), וְשָׂמֽוּ (Num. 6:27).
  בתות <i>Desolate places</i>. Comp. בתה desolate (5:6).
  ובנקיקי <i>And in the holes of</i>. Hapax legomenon; its meaning is found by the context.
  נעצוצים <i>Thorns</i> Trees that bear no fruit. Comp. נעצוץ (55:13) thorn.
  נהלולים <i>Bushes</i>. Hap. leg.—They will be so many that they will encamp even in uninhabited and desolate places.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired</i>. This refers to the angel of the Lord coming forth and destroying the camp of Assyria (37:36). Some take השכירה in the meaning of great; comp. שכיריה (Jer. 46:21) her great ones.25<i class="footnote">This is the explanation of Rashi; the Targum has here for שכירה the word הריפא sharp, but in Jerem. רברבהא, her great ones.</i> I think that שכירה is a noun like אכילה the eating (1 Kings 19:8), derived from שכר hire, which the owner of the razor receives; for this instrument, the hired razor, is very sharp; it is his profession.26<i class="footnote">It is the profession of him, that lets out razors on hire, to keep them sharp.</i> <i>The head, the hair of the feet, the beard</i>. Every mighty one, all princes and noblemen; it is said so distinctly (9:14)
  
  Verse 21
  
  ושתי צאן <i>And two sheep</i>.27<i class="footnote">צאן is a general term for the whole species, and cannot be joined with any number, when this is the case, another word must be supplied, as for instance here: שיות lambs.</i> Elliptical expression for ושתי שיות צאן And two lambs of the flock. 
  <i>A man</i>. Every one that will be in Jerusalem.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>And it shall come</i>, etc. God will send a blessing, so that plenty will spring out of little; therefore the sign was given, He will eat butter and honey.
  
  Verse 23
  
  היה═יהיה Was; comp. ישיר (Exod. 15:1) sang, יעשו They made (Ps. 106:19). 
  שמיר ושית Two kinds of thorns. This figure refers to the hosts of Assyria that destroyed the land year after year.
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>With arrows, etc</i>. One will not be able to enter the vineyards of former days, unless armed with arrows, from fear, they might harbour robbers or wild beasts in the thickets.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>And on all hills, etc</i>. And all the hills, where vineyards have formerly been carefully dressed, will now again be prepared; for there will be no thorns, and God will give such a blessing on the vineyards of the mountains, that people will send the cattle there; comp. He bindeth his foal to the vine (Gen. 49:4). The prophet says that from one cow and two sheep there will be obtained a plentiful supply of milk; and the vineyards of the mountains, that will alone remain undamaged, will enjoy a boundless blessing from the Almighty.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  גליון. According to some related to מגלה scroll; the י of גליון compensates for the omission of the Dagesh in ל; comp. דליו They are poor (Prov. 26:7).1<i class="footnote">Our editions have ל ,גִּלָּיוֹן with a Dagesh, like ﬠִוָּרוֹן ,זִכָּרוֹן etc., of the root גלה, the ה being changed into י as in the participle passive Kal גָּלוּי; according to I. E. it is derived from גלל, like רליו from רלל.</i>
  בחרט <i>In the form of</i>.2<i class="footnote">A. V. With a man’s pen.</i>2<i class="footnote">A. V. With a man’s pen.</i> Comp. Exod. 32:4. בחרט אנוש. <i>In the form of a man</i>. That is, in a form cast in the same way as the figure of a man is cast.2*<i class="footnote">According to this explanation we have to imagine the גליוז as a cylindric pillar, on the top of which the words Maher Shalal, etc., were cast in metal.</i> Others3<i class="footnote">This seems to be the opinion adopted by Ibn Ezra, chap. 3:23.</i> take גליון as the singular to גליונים (3:23) a cloth to which the writing was affixed by embroidery. <i>Maher-shalal-hash-baz</i>.3*<i class="footnote">The meaning of these four words is: Quick is the spoil, swift the prey, viz. of Samaria, to pass into the conqueror’s hand.</i> The prophet is told to indicate by these words the fall of Samaria.
  
  Verse 2
  
  .4<i class="footnote">ואעידה is future Hiphil of והעידה ;עוד is imperative Hiphil, both with ה parag. and conjunctive ו.</i>ואעידה According to some the א is here instead of ה. And take unto me faithful witnesses. According to others the future is used for the past: And I took unto me faithful witnesses. It may, however, be taken literally,5<i class="footnote">As future.</i> that I should take as witnesses for me. The prophet did what God commanded, although it is not related in the text. 
  <i>Uriah</i> THE <i>priest;</i> Uriah was then high priest. Zachariah was likewise a great man; what our Sages say about the prophecies of Zachariah and Uriah is well known.6<i class="footnote">R. Gamaliel, R. Eleazar, the son of Asaria, R. Josua, and R. Akiba, were once going up to Jerusalem; when they came to Zophim (a place near Jerusalem), they rent their garments; they approached the Temple-Mount and saw a fox coming forth from the place where the Holy of Holies had stood before. The sages burst into tears, but R. Akiba exhibited joy. When they enquired how he could express feelings of gladness at such a sight, he asked them why they wept. What! said they; have we not cause to weep, when we find that the very spot of which the law has said, ‘The stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death’ (Num. 18:7), has now become the abode of foxes? (Lam. 5:18.) And for the same reason, returned R. Akiba, do I rejoice. It is written: ‘And I should take for myself faithful witnesses, the priest Uriah, and Zachariah, the son of Berchjah.’ Now, what connection is there between Uriah and Zachariah? The one lived in the time of the first Temple (under Ahaz), the other in the time of the second. No other connection but to show that the prophecy of the one is conditioned by the words of the other. Uriah declared: ‘ For your sake shall Zion be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,’ etc. (Mic. 3:12). Zachariah foretold: ‘There shall yet old men and women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem,’ etc. (Zac. 8:4). As long as Uriah’s words were not fulfilled, one might have doubted the truth of the prophecy of Zachariah; but when I perceive how literally the predictions of the one have been verified, I can entertain no reasonable doubt that the promises of Zachariah will be fulfilled likewise. Thereupon his companions exclaimed, Akiba, thou hast given us true comfort. (Talm. Babli Makkoth, 24).</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  ואקרב. <i>And I went unto</i>. Euphemism; comp. Exod. 19:15.
  <i>The prophetess</i>. The wife of the prophet; she is called prophetess on account of her husband being a prophet, or perhaps because she was herself a prophetess.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>For before the child, etc</i>. This child was born two years7<i class="footnote">Two years are supposed by I.E. to pass, before the child is able to call, My father, My mother.</i> before the conquest of Samaria.8<i class="footnote">In the sixth year of the reign of King Hezekiah.</i> 
  ישא. The subject is the indeterminate pronoun one; one will carry away:9<i class="footnote">A. V. shall be taken away.</i> comp. ויאמד ליוסף And one said to Joseph (Gen. 48:1).10<i class="footnote">Comp. 2:4.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And the Lord spake again</i>. The word again is used because the following prophecy refers likewise to the invasion of the king of Assyria.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The water of the Shiloah</i>.11<i class="footnote">Shiloah is a rivulet that takes its rise in the north-west of Zion, flowing between Zion and the Upper City, and falling into the Kedron, which runs into the Dead Sea.</i> According to some Jerusalem is referred to by these words, but it is more correct to explain them as indicating the house of David, because the majority of the kings of this house were righteous, but the kings of Israel were all bad and wicked. מי השילח, literally: the canal, the water which is conducted by man, or which causes plants (שלחים) to sprout forth; comp. שלחיך Thy plants (Song 4:13).12<i class="footnote">Shiloah, though a proper noun, may still, like all names, be explained like a common noun. According to Ibn Ezra it is derived either from שלח to send; שילח the water which is sent or conducted by the industry of man through the bordering fields and gardens; or from שלח to make fruitful; שילח the river which waters the valley through which it flows.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Upon them</i>. Upon the men of Judah, that conspired against Ahaz. 
  אפיקיו Its rapid parts.13<i class="footnote">Where the river is the most violent, and its overflowing causes great damage. Comp. I.E. on Job 40:18, and Joel 1:20. A. V. his channels.</i> — comp. Ps. 42:2, Song 5:12 — or banks, according to the context. 
  גדותיו its banks; some supply ;14<i class="footnote">גדרותיו═גדותיו.</i>ר comp. שרשות ═ שרשרות (Exod. 28:14, 22), but this is a mistaken inference, for in שרשרות it is the ר of reduplication which is dropped in שרשת; the root is שרש, but we have no instance where a radical ר is dropped, since it does not belong to the silent letters.15<i class="footnote">It is more probable that שרשדות contains a reduplication of the two radical letters ש ר; in שרשות the first radical ש alone is repeated; in שרות 3:19, neither is repeated.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Immanuel</i>. He is mentioned here because he is to serve as a sign that Jerusalem will be delivered out of the hand of Pekah, Rezin and Sennacherib, even after the conquest of Damascus and Samaria.16<i class="footnote">The Assyrian armies could then march directly against Jerusalem, and their success was considered certain.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  רעו <i>Break</i>.17<i class="footnote">A.V., Associate yourselves.—According to I.E. the meaning of the verse is: Prepare yourselves to destroy nations; the next verse continues: It will all be in vain.</i> Comp. תרועם thou shalt break them (Ps. 2:9.) רׂעוּ as well as חׂתּוּ are imperatives; like סׂבּוּ surround (Ps. 48:13). 
  <i>Gird yourselves</i>. These words are repeated twice, to indicate that they should be perpetually armed.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Take counsel, etc</i>. Whatever you will counsel against Jerusalem will not be realised. עצו. <i>Take counsel</i>. A biliteral verb (ע״ו). According to R. Moses Hakkohen, י is dropped, and it should be יעוצו like זכורו (Neh. 4:8).18<i class="footnote">If this is the exact form of the word meant by Ibn Ezra, he must have read זְכוּרוּ like יְעוּצוּ. Our editions have זְכׂרוּ.</i> 
  כי עמנואל. <i>For God is with us</i>. Here we have the reason for עמנואל Immanuel being the name of the prophet’s son.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand</i>, that is: When the prophecy came with force upon me; comp. The hand of the Lord was upon me (Ez. 37:1).
  ויסרני <i>And instructed me</i>. The ס has a dagesh to compensate for the absence of the י, which is the first radical;19<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra had the reading וִיִסְּרֵנִי; if he had וְיִסְּרֵנִי he would certainly not have explained it as future Kal, with ו conversive, and supposed the omission of a radical י; since this word is perfectly regular, being the Piël past with ו conjunctive of יסר.</i> comp. אֶצָּרְךָ I formed thee (Jer. 1:5).20<i class="footnote">Future Kal of יצר.</i> <i>He instructed me</i>, etc. A proof of the correctness of my view concerning Unclean lips (6:5).21<i class="footnote">If this instruction was necessary, the prophet must personally have been inclined to go the way of the people.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Say ye not</i>. The prophet warns the right-minded not to conspire against Ahaz in order to join the King of Assyria; and this is to be understood by And their fear, etc., which refers to the King of Assyria22<i class="footnote">The King of Assyria was the object of their fear, and therefore many joined him.</i> mentioned before (ver. 7)
  
  Verse 13
  
  אתו <i>Him</i> is added, although את is before the noun, as in many instances; or it means Him alone.23<i class="footnote">The repetition is explained as a sign of emphasis. Comp. Gen. 47:21; 1 Sam. 25:29; 2 Kings 9:27; Neh. 9:29.</i> <i>You shall sanctify</i>. That which is holy is usually revered by men; comp. for he is a man of God, he is holy (2 Kings 4:9). 
  מעריצכם is either an adjective, Your dreadful one, or participle, who in truth makes you fear.24<i class="footnote">It is God who causes the terror, not the King of Assyria.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  והיה And he—namely, the King of Assyria—shall be.
  למקדש <i>For a sanctuary</i>. For a place whither man is used to go to receive blessing and strength. It is to be connected with לאבן 25<i class="footnote">The construction of the phrase, according to I. E., is: נגף ולאבן נגף והיה למקדש; but this explanation does not agree at all with the accents; לְמִקְדָּ֑ש is separated by a pause from the following words.</i>.נֶגֶף <i>For a stone</i>. For a rock, upon which man is used to go to find shelter. 
  <i>For the two houses of Israel</i>. The kingdom of Israel and that of Judah.
  <i>For a gin</i>, to Ephraim. <i>And for a stumbling</i>, to Judah.26<i class="footnote">Israel will be entirely conquered by Assyria, while Judah will only be partially taken for a short time, and will then be altogether delivered from the Assyrian invasion.—Here I. E. again neglects the accents, which join לפח ולמוקש, and separate ולמוקש from ליושב ירושלים.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>By them</i>. By the gin and snare.
  
  Verse 16
  
  צור According to some נ of the root is dropped; נצור ═ צור keep; but more correctly it is explained, Bind up; comp. וצרת And bind up (Deuter. 14:25). צור has, then, the same meaning as in the parallel phrase, חתום seal.—Do not reveal these prophecies, the testimony and the law.
  למורי <i>My disciples</i>. An adjective27<i class="footnote">למדים Disciples, persons that are learning; originally adj. learning. See 100:3, Note 5.</i> (comp. 1. 4); it is the same as תלמידי my pupils.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>And I will wait</i>. These are the words of the prophet; he will delay revealing the divine message till the Almighty shall give him permission.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>Behold, I and the children</i>, etc. They may understand a part of the prophecy entrusted to me from my actions and from the names of my sons. 
  <i>From the Lord of hosts</i>, etc. These names were given by the Lord of hosts, 
  <i>Who dwelleth on the mount of Zion</i>, and loves His people exceedingly.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>To you</i>. He addresses his pupils.
  המצפצפים <i>That peep</i>. צִפְצֵף has a meaning similar to רִּבֵּר; comp. אצפצף I shall peep (38:14).
  והמהגים. Hiphil. And they that cause others to mutter.
  <i>Surely a people that seeketh unto their God</i>, etc.28<i class="footnote">A. V.: Should not a people seek unto their God?</i> This is the reply.29<i class="footnote">To those that advise to consult wizards and them that have familiar spirits.</i> Surely such is a people that seeketh unto his God! sarcastically and ironically said.30<i class="footnote">Comp. the words of Elijah, 1 Kings 18:27.</i> How could one seek unto the lifeless idols for the benefit of the living.
  
  Verse 20
  
  לתורה ולתעודה <i>Concerning</i>31<i class="footnote">A. V., To.</i>31<i class="footnote">A. V., To.</i> <i>the law and concerning</i> <i>the testimony</i>. The preposition ל has the same meaning as in לי of me (Gen. 20:13). לתורה ולתעודה Concerning the law and the testimony32<i class="footnote">The words כי עוד are a corruption of והתעודה.</i> contained in the prophecy.—<i>They will surely</i>33<i class="footnote">A. V., If they speak not.</i> <i>speak according to this word</i>, etc. They will say : We shall not listen to it, for it is like a night that is not followed by a dawn; its secret will never come forth to light. According to some לתורה is an oath, by the law; but we find no analogy to this in Scripture.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>And they shall pass through it</i>, etc. Some explain this verse in the following way: Days will come when he that is travelling in Judah, and being himself of the tribe of Judah, will be hardly bestead and hungry through the host of Sennacherib; and when he sees that neither his king nor his idol will help him, then he will turn upwards to pray to God in heaven. I think it refers to the host of Sennacherib when marching through the land of Judah; for when the army is large, it is frequently exposed to hunger. 
  <i>Their king;</i> that is, the King of Assyria. 
  <i>And look upward</i>. Wherever they will turn, upward or downward, only darkness shall meet them.
  
  Verse 22
  
  מעוף <i>Dimness</i>. Comp. עיפתה darkness (Job 10:22).
  מנדח <i>Scattered</i>.34<i class="footnote">A. V.: And they shall be driven.</i> Comp. והנדחים And they that are scattered (27:13); the construction of the sentence is perhaps אפלה מנדח ומעוף Dimness of darkness is scattered about; by this construction the masculine form of פנודח is explained.35<i class="footnote">מנדח masc., agrees with מעוף, but not with the fem., אפלה.</i>
  
  Verse 23
  
  מי לא מועף וגו׳ For such dimness and darkness will not come over Jerusalem, though it is distressed by the enemy. According to others, The enemy will not be able to hurry36<i class="footnote">מועף Lit. flying. It is derived from עוף to fly according to this explanation.</i> to Jerusalem, which he had distressed.37<i class="footnote">A. V., Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation.</i> 
  <i>At the first</i>, etc. The first time that the king of Assyria came, he afflicted the land of Israel only slightly, by taking the districts of Zebulun and Naphtali;38<i class="footnote">See 2 Kings 15:29.</i> but the last time he afflicted it heavily, and took the whole of Galilæa.39<i class="footnote">See 2 Kings xvii.</i> <i>Of the nations</i>. Perhaps Israel is meant; comp.40<i class="footnote">This reference is to prove that the plural nations is used for Israel.</i> בעממיך Amongst thy people (Judg. 5:14)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>The people that walk in darkness</i>. The people of Jerusalem, who in their affliction walk in her streets as if they were blind of both their eyes.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>Thou hast multiplied the nation</i>, that is, the tribe of Judah, that assembled again in Jerusalem. לו הגדלת השמחה Unto him thou hast increased the rejoicing;1<i class="footnote">A. V., And not increased the joy.</i> this is according to the Keri; but according to the Ketib,2<i class="footnote">Keri (קרי the Chaldæan participle passive of קרא to read) is the reading of the text of the Bible according to the direction of the Massorah (tradition)—that is, according to the vowels, accents, and other signs with which the text is supplemented. Ketib (כתיב the Chaldaean participle passive of כתב to write), the text as it is written, without omitting, supplying, or altering any letter; the vowels to the letters must be supplied by the reader; for those in the text belong to the Keri.</i> To whom thou hast never before given so great rejoicing; comp. לא היה פחד There was no such dread before (Ps. 53:6).3<i class="footnote">Comp. also 23:13, זה העם לא היה. According to Ibn Ezra, לא היה כמוהו זה העם There was not such a people before.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  סבלו <i>His burden</i>. The form of the noun varies.4<i class="footnote">Our attention is very often called to this rule, as if the author protested thereby against the minute distinctions drawn by some synonymists in cases of nouns of the same root but of various grammatical structure; as, <i>e.g.</i>, סׂבֶל and סֵבֶל burden.</i> 
  <i>The staff of his shoulder</i>. The staff that smote his shoulder.
  החתות <i>Thou hast broken</i>. The ה has Pathah on account of the succeeding guttural (ח); comp. הַחלות Thou hast begun (Deuter. 3:24); it is a regular form.5<i class="footnote">Hiphil past of התת to break.</i> The second person refers to God, as in הרבית Thou hast multiplied. 
  <i>As in the days of Midian</i>. In the time of Gideon.6<i class="footnote">Comp. Judges vii. and viii.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  סאון. According to some, this word is related to סאה measure, and the meaning of the whole phrase is, God gave to Assyria the full measure according to her deeds. Some say, that by metathesis סאון is said for אסון mishap;7<i class="footnote">The meaning of the phrase would then be: For every kind of calamity will burst upon them tempestuously.</i> comp. כשב ═ כבש lamb; more correctly it may be said that this word is a hapax legomenon, and from the succeeding סואן, which is a verb (participle Kal), we see that נ is radical; the meaning of סאן is to cry loudly. 8<i class="footnote">I. E. does not tell us whence he derived his meaning for this hapax legomenon; very probably, however, from its being connected with ברעש, with confused noise. According to this explanation the meaning of the phrase in question is : For all kinds of noise raged furiously.</i>
  ושמלה מגוללה בדמים <i>And garments rolled in blood</i>. Every one lies slain in his blood. Or the garment which rolled in the blood of murdered people, etc. לשרפה והיתה <i>It was burned</i>.8a<i class="footnote">A. V., But this shall be with burning.</i> This refers to the destruction of the host of Sennacherib, which was burnt by the angel (37:36)
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>For unto us</i>, etc. All this has come to pass through the merit of the child that is born unto us. We know that at the time of the invasion of Sennacherib, Hezekiah was thirty-nine years old;9<i class="footnote">Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he commenced to reign; he was king for twenty-nine years (2 Kings 18:2); fifteen years before his death he fell ill (20:6), and this seems to have happened immediately after the destruction of the Assyrian army. According to I. E. on 8:5, Hezekiah was at the time of this prophecy twenty-nine years old. As to the application of the word ילד to adults comp. Gen. 33:5, 37:30, 44:20.</i> at the time of this prophecy he is, therefore, called child (ילד). פלא יועץ אל גבור אבי עד. According to some, these expressions are names of God, and the following שר שלום, the name of the child. I think that all these words are names of the child; he is called פלא wonder, 10<i class="footnote">A. V., Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father.</i>10<i class="footnote">A. V., Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father.</i>10<i class="footnote">A. V., Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father.</i>10<i class="footnote">A. V., Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father.</i> because God did wonders in his days; יועץ counselling; this is distinctly said of Hezekiah (comp. 2 Chr. 30:2); אל גבור Mighty chief; for Hezekiah was powerful; אבי עד The father of perpetuity, because the reign of the house of David was prolonged through his merits: עַד has here the same meaning as in 58:15. שר שלום Prince of peace because peace was established in his days; comp. 2 Chron. 32:22
  
  Verse 6
  
  לסרבה Some remark, after the manner of the Midrash,11<i class="footnote">פשט and מדרש (simplicity and research), are the two modes of commentary met with in Hebrew Literature; while the former reads and expounds the Scriptural text before us, the latter does not confine itself to this task, but, introducing extraneous historical, philosophical and moral matter, employs the wording of the text as a framework, or simply as a support to the memory. Notice is, therefore, taken even of the shape of the letters if they deviate in any extraordinary way from their customary form; as, <i>e.g.</i>, when a final Mem is found in the middle of a word; as such instances are too striking to be easily forgotten, any lesson which may be attached to them will probably retain a firm hold upon the memory.</i> that the use of the final Mem in this word hints at the miracle of the sun’s shadow going backward (38:8).12<i class="footnote">In the Yalkut no mention is made of this explanation. Kimchi gives a Midrash explanation to this final Mem, but different from that cited by Ibn Ezra. Neither of them gives any account of the word, which is certainly one of the many instances of Keri and Ketib; according to the Keri it is read למרבה, according to the Ketib להם רבה ═ לם רבה.</i> מרבה is either a noun, increase, like מְַעַשֶׂה work, or a regular participle Hiphil, causing to increase. 
  <i>With justice</i>. Comp. 2 Chr. 32:22
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>A word</i>. A prophecy or Divine decree.13<i class="footnote">גזרה is, according to I. E., the divine decree, as it commences already to operate; the first natural causes of the events to which the decree refers.</i> 
  <i>And it hath lighted</i>, etc. Repetition of the same idea as usual.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Ephraim</i>. The ten tribes.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>The bricks are fallen down</i>, etc. A figurative expression for Assyria has done evil to us, but we shall again be as happy as before, and even happier. 
  שקמים A kind of inferior fig-trees, sycamores.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>The adversaries of Rezin</i>. The Assyrians.
  <i>His enemies</i>. The enemies of God : Aram, or Israel.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>The Syrians</i>, etc. The Syrians in the east of Israel will join Assyria to do evil to Israel. 
  <i>And the Philistines</i>, etc. They are in the west of Palestine.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>And the people</i>. Namely, Israel. 
  <i>Unto him that smiteth them</i>. Unto God, because in truth it is He that smote; the word המכהו has two determinations, like האהלי (Jos. 21:7), my tent.14<i class="footnote">The two determinations are: the definite article and the possessive pronoun. Nouns with pronominal suffixes have usually no article, because they are sufficiently determined by the pronoun contained in the suffix.</i> 
  
  Verse 13
  
  The people did not return to the Lord, because there was none to show them the right way.
  כפה <i>Root</i>.15<i class="footnote">A. V., Branch.</i> Comp. וכפתו And his root (Job 15:32).
  ואגמון <i>And rush</i>. Comp. 58:5. It is a well-known tender plant.16<i class="footnote">נר in our editions must be replaced by רך. Comp. I. E. on Is. 58:5.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>The ancient</i>, etc. Now the prophet explains that both head and root signify the old;17<i class="footnote">The old has here the meaning of chief, which זקנים elders very often has in the Bible.</i> the tail and the rush signify the false prophet.
  
  Verse 15
  
  מאשרי <i>The leaders of</i>. Here we have א instead of י. This process of substituting א for י is reversed in תתימרו You boast yourselves (61:6). In ומאשריו And they that are led, is the א again in the place of 18<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 1:17.</i>.י
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>The Lord will rejoice</i>. Anthropomorphism; as human beings are accustomed to rejoice when their work is in a good condition.
  חנף <i>Hypocrite</i>. A man who is virtuous in outward appearance, but vicious at heart.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>For wickedness burneth</i>, etc. The prophet compares the fate of the wicked with the fire which consumes the thing that has produced the fire. 
  <i>Thorns and thistles</i>. The wicked. ויתאבכו Hapax legomenon. And they mount up.
  
  Verse 18
  
  נעתם <i>Is darkened</i>. In Arabic the word signifies dark.19<i class="footnote">عَتَمَتٌ is the third part of the night; عَتَمَ it was dark.</i> This verse is closely connected with the preceding, where the smoke is described. R. Moses Hakkohen compares נעתם with יועם is become dim (Lam. 4:1), and explains the ת to be the characteristic of the Hithpael; but this is a blunder.20<i class="footnote">The ת of the Hithpael is put after the first letter of the root only when the root begins with one of the letters ז ס ש ץ. According to R. Moses נעתם would rather be Nithpael; a form derived from the Hithpael, as the Niphal from the Kal.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>And he shall snatch</i>, etc. Figuratively said, referring to the civil wars which they shall wage against each other, though being brethren, and forming, as it were, one body.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Manasseh, Ephraim</i>, etc. This verse explains the preceding; Manasseh will fight against Ephraim, and both against Judah.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  הוי <i>Oh</i>. Sign of the vocative;1<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 1:4, and Note 13.</i> the prophet invokes the judges and their scribes. 
  ומכתבים And they that cause to write.2<i class="footnote">A. V., And that write.</i> A verb that governs two accusatives; it is participle Piel. עמל כתבו <i>They cause to write grievousness</i>. עמל is to be joined with 3<i class="footnote">The accents join עמל with ומכתבים. A. V., Grievousness, which they have prescribed.</i>.כתבו
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>To turn aside</i>, etc. They command the secretaries to write false documents for the orphans, widows and poor, who are powerless, and cannot open their mouths in defence of their rights.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And what</i>, etc. All this you have done, but what do you think to do in future, when the Lord will visit your iniquities?
  כבודכם <i>Your Glory</i>. Your army.
  
  Verse 4
  
  All this you have done.4<i class="footnote">These words are superfluous, and seem to be a repetition of the same phrase in the preceding verse, a mistake made by some careless copyist.</i> בלתי וגו׳ <i>Except</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., Without me.</i> <i>they bow down</i>, etc. None will escape except those that will bow down amongst the captives, or throw themselves amongst the slain, as if they were slain with them.
  
  Verse 5
  
  הוי <i>Oh</i>. Sign of the vocative.1<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 1:4, and Note 13.</i> 
  <i>The rod of mine anger</i>, wherewith I have chastised many. 
  <i>And the staff</i>, etc. And the staff that is in the hand of the Assyrians, is the instrument of my indignation.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The people of my wrath</i>. The people with whom I am wroth.
  
  Verse 7
  
  ידמה <i>He meaneth</i>. Comp. דמיתי I thought (Num. 33:56); דמיון imagination (Ps. 17:12). He does not think that I have sent him to chastise; he only considers how to overthrow every kingdom.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>He will say</i> in his heart.6<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 3:10.</i> <i>Behold my officers</i>, etc. Those who formerly were officers, have now, through me, become rulers over nations.
  
  Verse 9
  
  כלנו <i>Kalno</i> כלנה ═ Kalneh (Gen. 10:10); for the names mentioned there (Gen. x.) are names of places called after their founders, like מצרים Egypt.
  
  Verse 10
  
  לממלכות עובדי אליל ═ לממלכות אליל To the kingdoms of worshippers of idols.
  ופסיליהם מירושלים <i>And their graven images of Jerusalem</i>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., And whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem.</i> Of the country surrounding Jerusalem, of the fortified towns of Judah, which were already in the hands of the Assyrian conqueror.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>Shall I not</i>, etc. This prophecy refers to Sennacherib, when he came to conquer Jerusalem.8<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra refers this passage to Sennacherib’s expedition against Jerusalem Jerusalem was not conquered by him; comp. 1:8.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  יבצע <i>He will perform</i> (comp. Zach. 4:9).
  <i>His work</i>. To bring the host of Sennacherib unto Zion.
  <i>The fruit of the stout heart of the king</i>. Comp. The fruit of their thoughts (Jer. 6:19)
  
  Verse 13
  
  עשיתי I have acted valiantly. 9<i class="footnote">A. V., I have done it.</i> Supply גבורה valour.
  נבונותי <i>I am prudent</i>. Niphal of בין, verb ע"י.
  ואסיר And I was removing. Future for the imperfect;10<i class="footnote">See chap. i., Note 43.</i> comp. יעשו they made. Ps. 106:19.
  ועתודתיהם <i>And their treasures</i>. Comp. ועתדה And prepare it (Prov. 24:26); the possessions which man provides for himself for the days that are to come.
  כאביר Although it is written with Aleph, this letter is pleonastic, and the word means strong, mighty—I subdued those that dwell in strong fortresses.11<i class="footnote">This is against the accents, which join כב׳ר with ואסיר and separate it from יושבים; besides, the construction of the words, the adverb or object כאביר being placed before the verb יושבים, is very unusual; the regular order would be יושבים כביר According to I. E. כַּבִּיר ═ כַּאבִּיר; according to R. Moses Hakkohen כְּאַַבִּיר ═ כַּאבִּיר.</i> According to R. Moses Hakkohen, who takes the א as radical—comp. אביר the chief (1 Sam. 21:8)—it means like a hero.
  
  Verse 14
  
  לחיל <i>The riches</i>. Comp. החיל the wealth (Deut. 8:17).
  נודד <i>Moving</i>. A transitive verb, governing the accusative. כנף <i>Wing</i>. This figure is used because the nations have just been compared with eggs, and birds come from eggs.
  
  Verse 15
  
  הגרזן. An instrument to cut with. Comp. נגרזתי, I have been cut. (Ps. 31:23.) <i>Shall the axe</i>, etc. That is to say, It is God that has given the power to the Assyrians. משוד. Only one parallel is found to this word; וישר, And he cut (1 Chr. 20:3); it is derived from a verb ע״ע (שרר, to cut), after the form of מֽעוֹז, strength. 12<i class="footnote">מַשוֹר with Dagesh in ש and Pathah under מׇעוֹז ; מ has long Kamez under מ, to compensate for the omission of the Dagesh, because the succeeding letter is a guttural.</i> 
  Another figure is contained in the succeeding 13<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra read ואת מרימיו, while our editions have את מרימיו. Rashi seems also to have read ואת. I. E. does not at all explain the meaning of את; he ignores it entirely as if ואת מרימיו were the same as מרימיו ותנופת ═ ומרימיו.</i>.וחנופת מרימיו כהנפת שבט ═ כהניף שבט ואת מרימיו It is like the shaking of the rod; and this is principally the action of them that lift it up. כהרים מטה. <i>As the lifting up of the staff</i>, which is done by the people, not by the wood.14<i class="footnote">A. V., As if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Among his fat ones, leanness</i>. This refers to the death of the nobles of Assyria, related 2 Chr. 32:21.
  יֵקַד <i>He</i> <i>will kindle</i>. Comp. וַיֵרַד, And he came down (Ps. 18:10.)15<i class="footnote">Verbs פ״י of this class take as a rule a <i>Zeré</i> in the second syllable of the future Kal; <i>e.g</i>., יֵצֵא יֵרֵד, but occasionally Pathah, <i>e.g</i>. וַיׅרֵד יֵקֵד.</i> 
  יקד. <i>A burning</i>. A noun like כְּפׂר, hoar frost (Ps. 147:16.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>The light of Israel</i>. God. <i>Shall be a fire</i>. This refers to the angel that destroyed the Assyrian camp.
  <i>His thorns and his briers</i>. The wicked.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>And the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field</i>. A figure, signifying that his armies would be as numerous as the trees of the forest, and as the ears of a fruitful field. 
  <i>Both soul and body</i>. He destroyed them as if it were by burning.16<i class="footnote">Not only the soul, that is, the life, was destroyed, but also the whole body, as if it were entirely burnt, nothing being left.</i> 
  מְסוֹס, <i>Destruction</i>.17<i class="footnote">A.V. As when a standard bearer fainteth.</i> A noun like יְקׂד; it is not in the construct state. 
  נוסס. <i>Wonderful</i>; appearing as a miracle (נֵס)
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>And the rest of the trees</i>, etc. There will escape but a few, whose number even a boy that has not yet had practice in counting, will be able to calculate and write down.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>That smote them</i>, the Assyrians. This verse shows, that many of the men of Judah conspired against their king.
  
  Verse 21
  
  שאר יעקב. <i>The remnant shall return</i>. This is the name of the prophet’s son, which is to be explained now. Supply יעקב, after the first שאר. The remnant of Jacob, that is Judah, will return; repeat likewise ישוב before אל: The remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God (comp. Prov. 21:14). The verse, if written in full, would run thus: שאר יעקב ישוב אל אל גבור שאר יעקב ישוב,. The remnant of Jacob will return, the remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God. 
  <i>Mighty</i>, who is able to help them.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>For though</i>, etc. Although Israel should in those days be as numerous as the sand of the sea, only those that will return to God will remain; for destruction, which is decreed—חרוץ, decreed; comp. חרצת, thou hast decreed (1 Kings 20:40)—by God, will come like a river, overflowing with righteousness.
  
  Verse 23
  
  נחרצה. <i>A decree is made</i> by God.18<i class="footnote">Supply the feminine noun נזרה, decree, to the adj. נחרצה.</i> Comp. חרצת (1 Kings 20:40)
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>Inhabitants of Zion</i>. All the other towns of Judah are already conquered.
  <i>He will smite thee</i>, in his thought.19<i class="footnote">Because in reality he could not do it; his army was destroyed before Jerusalem.</i>
  בדרך מצרים <i>On the way to Egypt</i>.20<i class="footnote">A.V., After the manner of Egypt.</i> Sennacherib was then on his march to Egypt.
  
  Verse 25
  
  מעט מזער. <i>A very little</i>. Supply בימים, of time. <i>And the indignation</i>, etc. And mine anger and wrath, on account of their great iniquities will all be spent. תבליתם. <i>Their iniquities</i>. According to some, their destruction; comp. בלותי, My old age21<i class="footnote">חבלית is, according to the first explanation another form for תֶּבֶל (Lev. 20:12); according to the second it is formed from בלה, to wither, as תכלית, from כלה.</i> (Gen. 18:12). The form of the word is like that of תַּכְלִית (Ps. 132:32)
  
  Verse 26
  
  וכמכת מטהו═ומטהו. As he smote with his staff at the sea, when the water flowed back over the Egyptians. 
  <i>So shall be lift up</i>. This refers to the defeat of Sennacherib, after which he returned to his own country disappointed.
  
  Verse 27
  
  <i>His burden</i>. The burden imposed by the King of Assyria.
  <i>Thy neck</i>. Judah’s neck. וחבל.
  <i>And shall be destroyed</i>. Comp. וְחִבֵּל, And he will destroy (Eccl. 5:5). The yoke is broken, when the neck has become very fat; it is a figurative expression for, Judah will become mighty.
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  מעברה. The passage, or the name of a place. 
  לנו. <i>They have taken up their lodgings</i>. Comp. ללון, To stay over night. (Gen. 24:23.
  
  Verse 30
  
  צהלי. <i>Lift up the voice</i>. Comp. מצהלת, the neighing of the horse (Jer. 8:16.) 
  בת גלים. Name of a country. בת has here perhaps the same meaning as in בת־ציון. (The state of, the people of.
  
  Verse 31
  
  הגבים. Name of a place; or pits; comp. גובא, pit, in Chaldee. העיזו. 
  <i>They saved</i>22<i class="footnote">A.V., Gather.</i> themselves or others of Israel; it is a transitive verb; comp. העז, Save (Exod. 9:19)
  
  Verse 32
  
  <i>And yet</i>, etc. There will yet come a day when he will stay in Nob.
  
  Verse 33
  
  מסעף <i>Shall cut off the branches</i> (סעיפים). Comp. לא תפאר Thou shalt not take off the crown (פאר, Deut. 24:20); ושרשך And he will take away thy root (Ps. 52:7).
  פארה <i>Bough</i>. Comp. פארות Branches (Ez. 17:6).
  במערצה <i>With strength</i>.23<i class="footnote">A.V., Terror,</i> Comp. עריץ strong. 
  <i>And the high ones of stature shall be hewn down</i>, etc. The nobles shall be cut off.24<i class="footnote">The addition of בעבור כי in the Hebrew text is a mere indication that the succeeding remark explains the propriety of the use of this figure; it is not the explanation of the conjunction ו.</i>
  
  Verse 34
  
  ונקף <i>And he shall cut down</i>.
  סבכי The trees that are thick with branches.25<i class="footnote">A. V., Thickets.</i>
  בברזל <i>With the axe</i>,26<i class="footnote">A. V., With iron.</i> that is, by means of the angel.27<i class="footnote">The angel, that destroyed the Assyrian host before Jerusalem.</i>
  <i>And Lebanon</i>, etc. The princes, that are compared with the trees of the Lebanon, shall fall. בברזל אדיר ═ באדיר By a mighty axe;28<i class="footnote">A. V., By a mighty one.</i> ברזל is to be supplied from the preceding בברזל with the axe. 
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  The majority of commentators apply this chapter to the Messiah, as if the prophet said, The Assyrian army, which is now attacking Jerusalem, will perish; but besides this partial deliverance, a time of complete redemption will come for Jerusalem. R. Moses Hakkohen refers the chapter to Hezekiah, on account of its being the continuation of the prophecy recorded in the preceding chapter.1<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra does not directly decide in favour of either opinion, but tries throughout the chapter to show that both views can be fairly upheld. The connection with the preceding chapter, however, which is to recommend the view of R. Moses Hakkohen, is a very feeble support, since the transition from momentary relief to the lasting Messianic redemption, even in one and the same chapter, would be quite natural.</i>
  חטר <i>Rod</i>. Comp. חוטרא, the Chaldæan translation of .מטה  
  גזע Seed.2<i class="footnote">A. V., The stem. Ibn Ezra does not give the derivation of the word; in the three passages of the Bible where it occurs, it can be translated either stem, or seed.</i>
  נצר <i>Branch</i>. Comp. 14:19.
  <i>And there shall come forth</i>, etc. Hezekiah was very young at the time of this prophecy.3<i class="footnote">Comp. ix., note 9.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  ונחֽה <i>And shall rest</i>. Comp. ושבֽה (Lev. 23:13), And she shall return. It is a verb 4<i class="footnote">The rule is that the third person feminine past Kal of verbs ע״ו has the accent on the first syllable, but with Vav conversive on the second.—I.E. means perhaps to say that ונחה is derived from נוח, not from ינח.</i>.(נוח) ע״ו 
  <i>The spirit of the Lord</i>, that is, <i>the spirit of wisdom and understanding</i>, such as, <i>e.g.</i>, was assigned to Joshua (Deut. 34:9). 
  <i>And might</i>. Hezekiah was mighty, as stated (2 Kings 20:20)
  
  Verse 3
  
  והריחו <i>And his enquiry</i>.5<i class="footnote">A.V. And shall make him of quick understanding.—I. E. derives והריחו from הריח, to smell, and explains why this verb has been chosen to signify to enquire, or to investigate properly.</i> The ear is sometimes deceived in hearing sounds, which are only imaginary; the eye, too, sees things in motion, which in reality are at rest; the sense of smell alone is not deceived. He will properly investigate the question before him by his piety; he will not judge according to what he seems to see or to hear, because the testimony of the witnesses6<i class="footnote">The witnesses, is either to be taken literally and referred to to hear alone, or figuratively signifying the eye, and the ear, and referred to both to see, and to hear.</i> might be false.
  The rebuking and judging mentioned in this verse are privileges of royalty.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And he will judge the poor with justice</i>. According to the rule, Neither shalt thou countenance the poor in his cause (Exod. 33:3). 
  ביושר ═ במישור With equity. לענוי ארץ <i>The meek of the earth</i>. The good.
  <i>With the rod of his mouth</i>. With his mouth, which is, as it were, a rod for the wicked.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And righteousness shall be</i>, etc. And uprightness will never depart from him in all his doings.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The wolf shall dwell</i>, etc. The peace that will be in his days is now figuratively described. 
  ומריא I have already explained (1:11); it is a species of cattle, the fat of which is forbidden.7<i class="footnote">See 100:1, note 27.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  פרה The large cattle; the younger of the breed is called עגל (ver. 6). Some assert that the female of cattle is stronger than the male.8<i class="footnote">This remark of I. E. is perhaps to explain, why the feminine form פרה is used with the masculine רב for the whole species.</i> 
  <i>Shall eat straw</i>. As if his nature had changed, and he would no more, in seeking prey, inflict suffering upon others.
  
  Verse 8
  
  ושעשע <i>And shall play</i>. In this sense the word has always the reduplication.
  חור The aperture of the nose or mouth.
  מאורת The eye, which receives the light.9<i class="footnote">חור and מאורת are usually explained as the holes from which the animals mentioned in this verse come forth. A. V., Hole, Den.</i> 
  הדה He stretches forth; ה perhaps for י. Comp. יְרוּ stretch forth (Jer. 1. 14); or it is hapax legomenon.10<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation הדה is not hap. leg., although no other instance of the word is found in the Bible, because several examples are found of ידה, which is considered to be same as הדה.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>They shall not hurt</i>, etc. The asp and cockatrice will do no harm, as if all Palestine were full of the knowledge of the Lord; for it is an acknowledged fact, that he who knows the Lord will never destroy, but always build and improve. 
  כמים אשר לים מכסים ═ כמים לים מכסים Knowledge will increase, like the water which covers the sea. The water is never stopped, so knowledge will continually make progress.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>To him shall nations seek</i>. To him, that is, to Messiah, shall nations seek, that is, shall all nations be subjected. But according to the above-mentioned view of R. Moses Hakkohen,11<i class="footnote">That this chapter refers to King Hezekiah, not to Messiah.</i> this verse may predict the circumstances which would accompany the miracle of the sun; comp. the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder (2 Chron. 32:31). 
  בכבוד ═ כבוד With honour; comp. בבית ═ בית in the house (2 Kings 18:15)
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>The second time</i>, with regard to the deliverance from Egypt. This verse may be taken as a proof12<i class="footnote">According to the view of the majority of commentators mentioned in the beginning of this chapter. The general redemption of Israel, as predicted in this verse, did not take place in the days of Hezekiah; for the ten tribes remained in exile.</i> that the prophet in the whole passage refers to the Messianic period; for the restoration during the second temple was not. complete,13<i class="footnote">The deliverance of Judah from the Assyrian invasion in the days of Hezekiah did not correspond to the promise given in this and the following verses.</i> since not all the tribes, and not even all the men of Judah, returned to Palestine. He who refers the chapter to Hezekiah finds in this verse the description of the return of the people14<i class="footnote">In consequence of the Assyrian invasion, a great many of the Israelites seem to have left Palestine, in order to avoid the miseries and dangers of war and foreign occupation.</i> to Palestine, when they found that Jerusalem had escaped uninjured, and that Sennacherib had died after the loss of the greater part of his army.15<i class="footnote">This is not quite in accordance with 37:36; there it is said that <i>all</i> his men died, but I. E. in his commentaries frequently remarks that כל all, is not to be taken literally. Compare I. E. on Ex. 16:6.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>And He shall set up an ensign</i>. God will, as it were, lift up a banner among all nations, in order that the Israelites should see it and return to their land. 
  <i>Israel</i>. The ten tribes,16<i class="footnote">I. E. fails to show how he can explain the return of the ten tribes, according to the opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen, who says that the whole chapter refers to Hezekiah.</i> for Judah is mentioned separately.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The envy also of Ephraim</i>, etc. Ephraim will not be jealous, that Messiah will be of the tribe of Judah; or, if Hezekiah be the person here indicated, that his kingdom will be strengthened. 
  <i>And the adversaries of Judah</i>. The enemies of Israel generally;17<i class="footnote">של ישראל must be supplied in the text; the phrase שונאיהם של ישראל is a phrase often met with in the Talmud and the Midrash. It is perhaps omitted by the carelessness of the copyist. Without this interpolation the remark of I. E. remains without sense.</i> if the prophecy refers to Hezekiah, Aram18<i class="footnote">Aram is named as the ally of Israel against Judah.</i> is to be understood. <i>Shall not vex Ephraim</i>, by taking revenge for their hostilities in the days of Pekah.
  
  Verse 14
  
  ועפו According to some, And they will spread;19<i class="footnote">A. V. They shall fly, flying.</i>19<i class="footnote">A. V. They shall fly, flying.</i> comp. מגלה עׁפה A roll that was spread  (Zach. 5:1). According to R. Moses Hakkohen it is hapax legomenon, and means they will rest. פלשתים Supply מקום or ארץ The place, or the land of the Philistines. 
  <i>Toward the west</i>. The Philistines dwelt in the west of Palestine.
  <i>Them of the east</i>. The Syrians.
  <i>They shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab</i>, in order to spoil them. 
  משמעתם. Supply יסורו אל or יסורו תחת Will come under their supremacy.
  
  Verse 15
  
  והחרים <i>And shall utterly destroy</i>. Comp. חרם doomed to destruction (Lev. 27:29). The Israelites shall then cross upon dry land, and the sea shall not hinder them by rapidly returning to its bed. 
  בעים Hapax legomenon. ם is part of the root. The meaning of the word is, with strength. Those that compare it with תבעיון בעיו (21:12) have no knowledge in grammar.20<i class="footnote">The root of בעיו is בעה, while in בעים the ב is a preposition, and עים strength is the root.</i> 
  הנהר The Nile.21<i class="footnote">הנהר The river is frequently used as a proper noun for פְרׇת Euphrates; so also in this verse, according to Rashi. But the tongue of the Egyptian sea being mentioned before, it is not impossible that the river refers to the Nile.</i>
  והדריך <i>And make go over</i>. It is a verb with two accusatives.22<i class="footnote">Men and river.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>And there shall be an highway</i>, etc. This verse explains the purpose of the utter destruction and smiting (ver. 15). 
  <i>As it was to Israel</i>, etc. This refers to the dividing of the Red Sea at the Exodus from Egypt.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>And thou shalt say</i>. The second person refers to the Israelites, who returned home.
  כי <i>Though</i>. Comp. כי חטאתי לך רפאה נפשי Heal my soul, although I have sinned against thee (Ps. 41:5)
  
  Verse 2
  
  הנה אל ישועתי The God of my salvation is with me,1<i class="footnote">A. V. God is my salvation.</i> and therefore  אבטח I will dwell in safety.2<i class="footnote">A. V. I trust.</i> 
  The explanation of יה, the half of the name of God, will be found in the Book of Psalms,3<i class="footnote">In his Commentary on Ps. 118:17, I. E. explains וזמרת, but not the meaning of יה. He intended perhaps to do it on Ps. 68:5, to which verse he refers also in his commentary on Isaiah 26:4. It is, however, explained, Ex. 3:15, and Sefer Hashem, 100:8.</i> and of זמרת in the Pentateuch (Exod. 15:2)
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And you will draw water</i>. By this figure the prophet indicates that they will rejoice exceedingly, as the thirsty rejoices when he draws water.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And you shall say</i> one to the other.
  קראו Call aloud.
  עלילותיו His deeds.
  
  Verse 5
  
  זמרו <i>Sing</i>. Comp. זמרת the best fruit (Gen. 43:11). Lit. Give the best and choicest thing.
  מודעת <i>Known</i>. Participle Hophal.
  גאות <i>Excellent thing</i>. Feminine, as seen by the affix 4<i class="footnote">It agrees therefore with the feminine מודעת זאת this is known.</i>.ת
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Cry out</i>, etc. It is right, that thou, O Zion, shouldst lift up thy voice, for God is in thy midst.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  The fall of Babylon is recorded after the ruin of Assyria, because it was Babylon that conquered Assyria.1<i class="footnote">According to Ktesias, the Babylonians under Nabopolassar, with the Medes under Cyaxares, captured and destroyed Nineveh about 606 B.C.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  נשפה <i>High</i>. According to some related to נֶשֶׁף (5:11) dimness;2<i class="footnote">הד נשפה Lit. dark mountain, that is, a high mountain, the summit of which seems to be dark.</i> more correctly it may be compared with שְׁמׇיׅם heights (41:18), נ in that case being the characteristic of the Niphal; in both cases it means high; or the word must be considered as hap. leg. 
  <i>For them</i>. For those that come to attack Babylon.
  <i>That they may go into the gates of the nobles</i>. They shall come and march at once into the country; they will undoubtedly conquer it.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>I</i>. God is speaking.
  למקדשי Those that are appointed by me for the purpose. 3<i class="footnote">A. V., My sanctified ones.</i> 
  <i>That rejoice in my highness</i>. That are glad to show my might, or, whom I caused to rejoice in the power I gave them.
  
  Verse 4
  
  קול המון <i>A resounding voice</i>.4<i class="footnote">A. V., The noise of a multitude.</i> It is the nature of mountains to echo the sound of words uttered by any person, and this echo is alluded to by the expression קול המון. The root of המון is המה resound; comp. הומה being in an uproar (1 Kings 1:41). The prophet explains also what this noise among the kingdoms of the heathen people signifies; Cyrus, the king of Persia, and Darius, the king of Media, became allies in a war against Babylon; this is distinctly stated in Daniel.5<i class="footnote">The passages referred to are : The kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians (Dan. 5:28), And Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old (ib. 6:1.) On the latter verse I. E. remarks, It is known that Cyrus took Babylon, as stated in Isaiah; Cyrus is therefore called the king of Babylon (Ezra 5:13), but Darius the Mede, his father-in-law, was, as we learn from the history of Persia and Media, his ally, and was made by him viceroy of Babylon. They were both kings of Babylon at the same time, but it was by order of Cyrus, the king of kings, that the Jews returned to Jerusalem after the fall of Babylon.</i> 
  מפקד He is appointing officers, or, he is causing to number; comp. פקודים number. The word מפקד governs two accusatives.6<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation, מפקד is a denominative from פקיד officer; according to the second it is derived from פקד to number. מפקדים in the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of מגזרת פְּקֻדִים.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>They come from a far country</i>. They come from the country of Elam.7<i class="footnote">The Elam mentioned by I. E. cannot be the Elam of Dan. 8:2, the Persian province with the capital Susa, which is in the immediate neighbourhood of Babylonia, and by no means more entitled to be called a far country with regard to Babylon than Media, named in this same chapter (ver. 17.) The remark of I. E. is probably based on Is. 21:2, Go up, Elam, &amp;c. and he seems to suppose that there was, besides the west Persian province Elymais, including Susiana, Dan. 8:2, another Elam or Elymais, an independent state in the north and east of Media and Persia (comp. Jer. 49:34, Ez. 32:24). The Elamites, warlike Semitic tribes (comp. Gen. 14:1, 10:22), had spread over the whole of the country between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and left here and there traces of their conquests. Hence the Elymais, in the west of Persia, and another Elymais, in the north of Media; hence the great uncertainty and discrepancy among the ancient geographers and historians concerning the extent and position of Elymais. (See Smith’s Dict. of Greek and Rom. Geogr. sub voce Elymais; Niebuhr, Assur and Babel, p. 382, ff.)</i> <i>From the end of heaven</i>. As if they came from the extremity of heaven; that is, they come from a great distance. 
  <i>The Lord cometh</i>. The decrees of the Lord are coming, they will soon be fulfilled. <i>And the weapons of His indignation</i>. Persia and Media.
  
  Verse 6
  
  משדי <i>From the Almighty</i>. This destruction shall come from the Almighty, and who shall be able to prevent it? According to others: From a destroying hero (שודד ═ שדי), but the former explanation is the right one.8<i class="footnote">The second explanation is rejected, probably because there is no instance of שדי being used in that sense.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>All hands</i>, viz., of the Babylonians.
  
  Verse 8
  
  פני להבים <i>A face of flames</i>. A face burnt by the intensity of the pains. According to others: The face of the Lehabim;9<i class="footnote">Comp. Genesis 10:13.</i> Lehabim being the name of a nation similar to the Ethiopians.
  
  Verse 9
  
  אכזרי <i>Cruel</i>. The י is paragogic, as in 10<i class="footnote">The י in פנימי is not of the same kind as that in אכזרי, as stated by I. E. himself (Moznaim, On the Hirek); in his commentary on Lev. 16:21, he quotes פנימי as an instance of an adjective with יו״ד להתיחס, a formative י to indicate relation. In his Safah Berurah (p. 29), however, he quotes פנימי and אכזרי as two instances of the paragogic יו״ד נוסף) י). This discrepancy seems to have its origin in the use of the word נוסף additional in two different meanings, (<i>a</i>) not radical but formative; (<i>b</i>) not essential but superfluous.</i> פנימי inner (1 Kings 6:27). 
  <i>The land</i>, viz., of the Chaldæans.
  
  Verse 10
  
  וכסיליהם According to some, כְּסִיל is the name of the star which is nearest to the south pole, at the sight of which the camels die.11<i class="footnote">The star near the south pole is seen by the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere only in the midst of the summer, when the camels are exposed to the greatest heat. The name of the star is, according to I. E. (on Amos 5:8) Edom in Hebrew, Sahil in Arabic; it is now known by the name Kanopus.</i> My opinion is12<i class="footnote">Concerning the four constellations mentioned in the Bible חַדְרֵי תֵימׇן עׇשׁ כְּסִיל כִּימׇה (Amos 5:4, Job 9:9, 38:31), I. E. gives the following explanation: חדרי תימן Kanopus and the stars round him; עש the Great Bear; כסיל the Heart of the Scorpion; כימה the left eye of the Taurus. (In his Kele Nehosheth, a description of an astronomical instrument and its use, כימה is identified with Algadia, or the Haedi in the Auriga.) These four constellations occupy, according to I. E. the four most important spots of the celestial sphere; namely, עש is near the north pole; חדרי תימן near the south pole; כסיל near the south equinoctial point; כימה near the north equinoctial point. At present, however, the latter two are not near the mentioned points, because of the eastward motion of the Zodiac, which amounts in a hundred years nearly to one degree and a half.</i> that כסיל is the Heart of the Scorpion constellation; it is, however, possible that כסילים in this verse—comp. כְּסׇלִים flanks (Lev. 3:4)—signifies the stars near the poles.13<i class="footnote">This derivation is also mentioned, and, as it seems, adopted by I. E. in his commentary on Lev. (3:4.) A distinction is therefore to be made between the singular כסיל the Heart of the Scorpion, and the plural כסילים the stars on the sides or flanks of the two poles, hinted at in the dual form of the preceding שׇׁמַיׅם. (Comp. I. E., Sefer hashem, 100:1.)</i> R. Jonah remarks that there is only one star named כסיל, and that here, in the plural כסילים, other stars are included; comp. בתי השן the houses of ivory (Am. 3:15).14<i class="footnote">R. Jonah is here not censured so severely as in the commentary on Amos 4:15. I. E. says there—of course only for the sake of a play of words, in which he frequently indulges, not with the intention to offend—הוא בשמים רבים הם בארץ והוא אחד מהם אם כסיל אחד. R. Jonah thinks that there was only one house of ivory in the days of Amos, namely the one built by king Ahab (1 Kings 22:39), because no mention is made of any other such house. The plural בתי השן houses of ivory must, according to his opinion, include houses which were not of ivory. This opinion is justly—though too harshly—rejected by I. E.</i> 
  יׇהֵלּוּ <i>They will let shine</i>.15<i class="footnote">A. V. Will shine.</i> Its form is like that of וַיׇחֵלּוּ and they began (Judg. 20:31). Its root is הלל, and it is a transitive verb; comp. בהלו גרו when he lights his candle (Job 29:3).16<i class="footnote">A. V. When his candle shined.</i> יַגִּיהַ <i>Shall cause to shine</i>. Likewise a transitive verb, as proved by יַגִּיהַ חׇשְׁכִּי He will enlighten my darkness (Ps. 18:29)
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>The world</i>. Cyrus conquered many countries, as he says; All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heavens, hath given me (Ezr. 1:2)
  
  Verse 12
  
  אוקיר <i>I will make precious</i>. A transitive verb; it is Hiphil of יקר to be precious; comp. הוקר רגלך Withdraw (lit.: make rare) thy foot (Prov. 25:17).
  <i>A man</i>. The male population, which will perish in war.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>Therefore I will shake</i> <i>it</i>, etc. A figurative expression for the fugitive will nowhere find rest.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>And it will be</i>. And the army of the Chaldæans will be
  מ֭דׇּח <i>chased</i>, by the pursuers. מֻדׇּח is participle Hophal, like מוקטר burnt17<i class="footnote">A. V. Incense.</i> (Mal. 1:11 ) מֻגׇּשׁ offered (ibid.) מֻצׇּב set up (Gen. 28:12)
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>He will be pierced</i>. He will find no mercy.
  נספה <i>That is joined</i>. Participle Niphal.18<i class="footnote">The participle Niphal is called by I. E. adjective (שם התואר). Comp. Zahoth, On the Niphal.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  תשגלנה <i>They will be ravished</i>. It is read תשכבנה by euphemism.19<i class="footnote">שנל had originally a loss offensive meaning. Comp. שֵׁגֶל wife, queen. (Ps. 45:10.); but in the course of time it became a more common and vulgar expression; the Massorites recommended therefore to replace this verb by the less offensive שבב to lie, but only in reading; the written text was of course not altered by them.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>The Medes</i>, who are the most cruel people. 
  <i>They shall not regard silver</i>, as being of any value; they shall only desire to slaughter.
  
  Verse 18
  
  תרטשנה They shall dash to pieces.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms</i>. And Babylon that HAS BEEN the glory of kingdoms; comp. הבית הזה יהיה עליון this house which will HAVE BEEN high (1 Kings 9:8).20<i class="footnote">The point of comparison seems to be the different use made of the future tense in two successive parts of the same verse. In the verse of the Book of Kings referred to, יהיה is used for the past, while ישום is a proper future; (in the corresponding passage of 2 Chron. 7:21, יהיה is replaced by אשר היה). Here even the same word והיתה is used once as a past and once as a future.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  לא תשב It shall not be inhabited.
  יהל <i>Shall pitch his tent</i>. יאהל ═ יהל Comp. מאזין ═ מזין listening (Prov. 17:4).
  ערבי <i>The Arabian</i>. The word has here the same meaning as ערב Jer. 25:22 and Is. 21:3. Even the Arabian, who is accustomed to move from place to place, will not pitch his tent there.
  
  Verse 21
  
  צײם Beasts that dwell in the desert (צִיׇה)
  אוחים hap. leg. Beasts at whose sight everyone is terrified.21<i class="footnote">This is not the opinion finally adopted by I E.; at the end of the verse he gives another explanation. A. V. Doleful creatures.</i>
  בנות יענה <i>Owls</i>. A well known kind of birds.
  שעירים Beasts like Shedim;22<i class="footnote">In his commentary on Lev. (17:7) I. E. explains שעירים according to the context by שֵׁדִים imaginary beings similar to wild goats, worshipped by superstitious peoples; but here, being mentioned together with wild beasts, it is explained by beasts in the form of Shedim (כדמות שדים).</i> wild goats.23<i class="footnote">A. V. Satyrs.</i> 
  אוחים might also be taken as a kind of birds.
  
  Verse 22
  
  אײם <i>Vultures</i>.24<i class="footnote">A. V. The wild beasts of the islands.</i> Plural of אַיׇה Vulture (Lev. 11:14). 
  וענה And will sing25<i class="footnote">A. V. Cry.</i> or And will dwell; comp. מעון habitation (Ps. 26:8). 26<i class="footnote">A. V. In their desolate houses.</i>
  באלמנותיו According to some the same as בארמנותיו in his palaces; comp. Ez. 19:7; but as the letters—with the exception of אׄ הׄ וֹ יׄ—do not interchange;27<i class="footnote">This rule is not only not always home in mind by I. E., but often directly contradicted, as <i>e.g.</i>, Moznaim, <i>sub voce</i> המתהפכים.</i> it is better to explain the expression thus : And every one of the vultures will sing with his widows.
  ותנים <i>And dragons</i>. Comp. Job 30:29
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>For the Lord will have mercy</i>, etc. When Babylon was taken, Cyrus allowed the exiled Jews to return home.
  ונספחו <i>And shall be joined</i>. Comp. ספחני join me (1 Sam. 2:36)
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>And the people shall take them</i>, etc. When people will see how Cyrus honours Israel, they will like to be servants to the Israelites.
  
  Verse 3
  
  מעצבך <i>From thy hardship</i>. Judah is addressed. מעצבך from thy hardship refers to the sufferings of the body, מרגזך from thy trouble to those of the heart.1<i class="footnote">This distinction between עצב and רנז can only refer to the relative meaning of these two words, when following each other; but עצב by itself is used also for the trouble of the heart and soul; comp. Gen. 45:5, 1 Sam. 20:34. A. V, From thy sorrow and from thy fear.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  מדהבה <i>Gold</i>.2<i class="footnote">Literally, she that exacted gold, מַדְהֵבׇה being part. fem. Hiphil of דהב. A. V., The golden city.</i> Comp. דהב the Chaldæan translation of זהב gold; in Arabic it is likewise דהב (ذَهَبٌ). The gold of the tribute is meant here.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>The staff</i>. A figure signifying kingdom. <i>The rod</i>. The same. The king is like a shepherd, the people like his flock.
  
  Verse 6
  
  מכת <i>Stroke</i>. It is the construct state; supply יד of the hand, or with the hand; comp. השותים במזרקי ײן They that drink wine out of basons [of silver or gold]3<i class="footnote">The accents favour this explanation; מַכַּת֭ as well as בְמִזְרְׅק֭י have a disjunctive accent.</i> (Am. 6:6).
  מורדף <i>Persecuted</i>. Participle Hophal. The meaning of the whole sentence is: Who ruled over him that was persecuted without intermission. The word מורדף might, however, be taken in the active sense persecuting. 4<i class="footnote">The text has פעול; but as a contrast to the first explanation is intended, which describes מרדף to be פעול passive, we must read in the second explanation פועל active. I. E. says that although the form is passive, the meaning of the word is active (פועל בטעם). The Hophal, as the passive of the Hiphil, admits this active sense: caused to persecute, and therefore also persecuting.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Is at rest</i>, since the death of the King of Babylon.
  פצחו <i>They break forth</i>. The root פצח in Arabic means to speak poetically.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Yea, the fir trees</i>, etc. For he had caused the fir trees and the cedars to be hewn down, to build with them fortresses and ramparts.
  
  Verse 9
  
  שאול <i>The grave</i>.5<i class="footnote">A. V. Hell. Comp. I. E. on 38:10.</i> It is common; therefore רׇגְזׇה (femin.) and עורר (mas.).
  רפאים <i>The dead</i>. The א is, perhaps, instead of ה (the root being רפה to be weak).
  עתודי <i>The chiefs</i> (lit., the he-goats) Comp. An he goat also and a king (Prov. 30:31). 
  <i>It hath raised up from their thrones</i>. They were rising from their thrones as if they were alive; it is possible that the Babylonians had the custom of having thrones in the graves of their kings.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>All they</i>, etc. They would, if they could, speak thus.
  חלית <i>Art thou become weak</i>. Root חלה to be ill; comp. מחלה illness. (Exod. 15:26)
  
  Verse 11
  
  יצע <i>Was spread</i>. It is the past,6<i class="footnote">Piel. of יצע.</i> like יֻלַּד was born (Gen. 35:26); or the future7<i class="footnote">Hophal of יצע.</i> instead of the past.—As to the masculine form יצע (the subject רמה being feminine) compare לקח מהם קללה And of them a curse shall be taken up. (Jer. 29:22); this is a poetical license; the same freedom in the use of the gender is to be noticed in the Arabian language. Concerning the following ומכסך, which is participle masculine,8<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to have read ומכסך, instead of ומכסיך. There is, however, no difference in the sense, since the latter can he both plural and singular. (Ges. Hebr. Gr. § 93, 9.)</i>8<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to have read ומכסך, instead of ומכסיך. There is, however, no difference in the sense, since the latter can he both plural and singular. (Ges. Hebr. Gr. § 93, 9.)</i> the same remark is to be made.
  
  Verse 12
  
  הילל Very probably Lucifer, as בן שחר morning star proves. It is seen on certain days a little before dawn, and of all the host of heaven there is no star that shines with such brilliancy as this; its name is therefore הילל (lit., splendour); comp. יחלו They shall cause to shine (13:11).
  חולש <i>Who didst weaken</i>. Comp. ויחלוש And he defeated (Exod. 17:13). According to others: Who didst cast lots;9<i class="footnote">Comp. חלשים Lots. See Kashi ad locum. Talm. Babl. Shabbath, 149.</i> comp. קלקל בחצים He divined by arrows (Ez. 21:26).10<i class="footnote">This is said of the king of Babylon, when he came to attack Jerusalem.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>I will ascend to heaven</i>. An expression indicating the pride of the heart.
  <i>Upon the appointed mount</i>.11<i class="footnote">A. V. The mount of the congregation.</i> Upon mount Zion, which is the place appointed by the Lord for His sanctuary; comp. מועדי אל the synagogues of God (Ps. 74:8). This explanation is confirmed by the words which follow: in the sides of the north; for Zion was in the north of Jerusalem.12<i class="footnote">Comp. Ps. 48:3, Mount Zion, on the sides of the north. I. E. remarks, בצפון ירדשלים on the north side of Jerusalem. Some critics questioned, in consequence of this remark, the veracity of the account which narrates the visit of I. E. to Jerusalem, because by nearly all recent descriptions of the holy city, Zion is to the south of it. But a distinction must be made between עיר דוד the city of David, which is also called מצדת ציון, the stronghold of Zion, or ציון Zion, and הר ציון the mount Zion. Whatever position antiquarians assign to the former, the latter was to the prophets and poets of the Bible identical with the mount of the house of the Lord, the holy mount, and is therefore in the north, or, more accurately, in the north-east of the old city of Jerusalem. Comp. Ez. 40:2.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  Join this verse to the following : Thou hast said, I will ascend, etc. but thou shalt be brought down, etc.
  אדמה <i>I</i> <i>will be like</i>. It is Hithpael, the characteristic ת being absorbed by ד; the Dagesh in מ proves that it is Hithpael.13<i class="footnote">The Dagesh in מ distinguishes it from the Niphal; אֶנְדׇּמֶה═אֶדׇּמֶה is the Niphal, אֶתְדַּמֶּה═אֶדַּמֶּה the Hithpael.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  ישגיחו. They shall look.
  אליך יתבוננו. They shall become reasonable through thee.14<i class="footnote">A. V. They shall narrowly look upon thee.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  תבל <i>The inhabited world</i>. This noun is feminine in every instance but the present.15<i class="footnote">The masculine suffix in וְעׇרׇיו is supposed to refer to תבל. See Note 21.</i> Some refer the suffix to מדבר wilderness, others to the Babylonian king, explaining ועריו הרס he hath pulled down his own cities. לא פתח. 
  <i>He did not open</i>. Supply, their prison.16<i class="footnote">It is not clear whether I. E. takes בית מאסרם ═ ביתה prison, or supplies בית מאסרם, and besides the verb לשוב to return; the rendering of the whole phrase would accordingly be, He opens not their prison, that they return home.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>In his house</i>. Which he had prepared for himself, that is the grave; comp. man goeth to his long home (Eccl. 12:5)
  
  Verse 19
  
  There is an old tradition that when Nebuchadnezzar had died, and was buried, he was dragged out of his grave again, because the people of his kingdom were in doubt whether he really was dead, and feared he might again return to them as he had done before.17<i class="footnote">See Rashi <i>ad locum</i>, and Dan. iv.</i> This is perhaps really the fact; there is at least no doubt, that this verse refers to Nebuchadnezzar, who was the first of the Babylonian kings that reigned over Israel. This we may infer also from the words Prepare slaughter for his sons (ver. 21).18<i class="footnote">The question seems to be, whether this prophecy (verses 4—20) refers to Nebuchadnezzar, the first Babylonian tyrant that ruled over the Jews, whose fate, according to tradition, was just that described in verses 18—20, or to his grandson (according to I. E.) Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, who was slam (Dan. 5:30), and most probably not buried with the honours of a king. I. E. is in favour of the former, because the extinction of the dynasty predicted in the words, Prepare slaughter <i>for his children</i>, etc., was not to begin with the king addressed here, but with one of his descendants.</i> 
  כנצר As a bough.
  מטועני <i>Pierced</i>. Comp. طَعَنَ (טען) to pierce in Arabic. According to some,—who in a rather circuitous way derive it from טען to load, comp. טענו load (Gen. 45:17)—full.19<i class="footnote">מטעני חרב full of wounds with the sword. A. V., Thrust through with a sword.</i>
  מובס <i>Trodden</i>, A verb ע״ו; (root בוס.
  
  Verse 20
  
  תחר <i>Thou shall be joined</i>. The radical א is dropped;20<i class="footnote">Root אחד to join.</i> comp. אהב I love (Prov. 8:17); according to the grammarian R. Jehudah, י is omitted, and the word is derived from יחד to be together. 
  <i>For thou hast destroyed thy land</i>, even thy land, how much more other countries; this explains the words : And he pulled down his cities (ver. 17).21<i class="footnote">According to this remark, the suffix in עריו (5:17) refers to Nebuchadnezzar, not to תבל the world. 5:17, I. E. seems to be of opinion that it refers to תבל, introducing the other explanation by יש אומרים Some say.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>To his sons</i>. To Belshazzar and his whole family.
  <i>Their fathers</i>. His father Evil Merodach and his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar.
  ערים Enemies.22<i class="footnote">צרים═ערים. The interchange of צ and ע is especially noticed in comparing Hebrew words with the corresponding Chaldæan ones, <i>e.g.</i> עיר═ציר messenger; ארע ═ ארץ earth. A. V., Cities.</i> Comp. ערך thine enemy (1 Sam. 28:16). ומלאו וגו׳ <i>Nor fill</i>, etc. For they would stir up hatred everywhere; ולא מלאו═ומלאו. According to others : the face of the world will then be filled with cities, because the Babylonian kings will no longer be the masters of the earth.
  
  Verse 22
  
  שם <i>Name</i>. The person himself.23<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Ruth 3:16, and Sefer hashem, 100:1.</i> שאר <i>That is near to</i> him.24<i class="footnote">A. V., Remnant.</i> Comp. Lev. 20:6. The father is meant. נין Son. נכד Grandson.25<i class="footnote">A. V., Nephew.</i>
  
  Verse 23
  
  קפוד <i>Hedgehog</i>.23a<i class="footnote">A. V., Bittern.</i> A well known animal. According to some קפוד is derived from קפד to roll—comp. קפדתי I rolled (xxxviii 12)—on account of its power of rolling itself together.
  מטאטא <i>Besom</i>. All agree that this word is hap. leg.; it signifies an instrument wherewith refuse is removed.
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>He hath sworn</i>. The decree of God is His oath.26<i class="footnote">According to I. E. the unchangeable decree of the Lord is called His oath; it is an anthropomorphism.</i> 
  <i>I thought</i>. Whatever I had planned, as far as concerned the past, has come to pass, and the same will be the case concerning the events that are planned for the future.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>As I have thought to break Assyria in my land</i>, that is, in Jerusalem, where His residence is. 
  <i>From them</i>. From my land and from my mountains.
  
  Verse 26
  
  <i>This is the purpose</i>, etc. So will this plan be carried out, which I formed against Babylon. 
  <i>For all the nations</i>. For Assyria, for Babylon, each in its turn.
  
  Verse 27
  
  <i>For the Lord of hosts</i>, etc. Since the Lord has decreed, who can annul it.
  
  Verse 28
  
  המשא.27<i class="footnote">Here a new chapter commences, according to I. E.</i> The prophecy28<i class="footnote">A. V., Burden.</i> or a parable in the prophetic style, as is apparent from the words For out of the serpent’s root, etc.
  
  Verse 29
  
  צפע <i>Cockatrice</i>. It is the same as צפעני (11:8); it is more dangerous than the serpent.—Hezekiah shall be mightier than his father, and more dangerous to the Philistines (comp. 2 Kings 18:8). 
  <i>And his fruit</i>. The fruit that he will bring forth, will be שרף מעופף <i>a fiery flying serpent;</i> the flying one is the most dangerous of the fiery serpents.
  
  Verse 30
  
  בכורי דלים <i>The firstborn of the poor</i>. Israel, who had become impoverished sooner than any other nation,—Israel shall enjoy abundance and safety; the opposite fate shall befall the Philistines. 
  <i>Thy root</i>. The fathers.
  ואחריתך <i>And thy remnant</i> Thy children; comp. לאחריתו to his posterity (Dan. 11:4)
  
  Verse 31
  
  הילילי <i>Howl</i>. Lift up thy voice publicly.
  <i>For there shall come from the north a smoke</i>. The king of Assyria, and probably Sennacherib is meant, as may be inferred from the words that the Lord hath founded Zion (ver. xxxii).29<i class="footnote">From the words quoted, I. E. infers that the prophet speaks here of an enemy who is to invade Palestine with success, and to proceed unto Jerusalem; but there he is to be defeated. This was, in fact, the case with Sennacherib.</i>
  בודד <i>Alone</i>. Related to בָּדָד alone.
  במועדיו <i>In his castles.30<i class="footnote">A. V., In his appointed times. מועד admits both meanings: the appointed time, and the appointed place.</i></i> The smoke shall enter, and no one shall be able to remain there, even alone.
  
  Verse 32
  
  ומה יענה מלאכי גוי And what shall each of the messengers of the nation answer?31<i class="footnote">See 3:12. A. V., What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation.</i> <i>That the Lord hath founded Zion</i>, and therefore Assyria cannot conquer it; when the nations shall enquire, what has become of Jerusalem, the messengers will give this answer to those that have sent them.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  בליל <i>In the night of</i>.1<i class="footnote">A. V., In the night.</i> ליל is in the construct state. It is an elliptical expression for in the night of such and such a day of the week.2<i class="footnote">An ellipsis, as supposed here by I. E. would be very unnatural; the qualified word may easily be omitted, but not the qualifying; we omit, e.g the house, but not the qualifying genitive. If לֵיל could only be the construct state, the whole sentence, שדד ער מואב, should be taken as the genitive; comp. Gen. 1:1, Hos. 1:1. See I. E. on Is. 21:11, and Moznaim, On the elliptical phrases in the Bible.</i>
  מואב <i>In Moab</i>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., Of Moab.</i> במואב═מואב; the preposition ב is omitted.4<i class="footnote">Ar and Kir being proper nouns, cannot govern a genitive; ער מואב and קיר מואב are therefore explained by I. E. to be identical with ער במואב and קיר במואב.</i>
  נדמה <i>Was destroyed</i>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., Brought to silence.</i> Comp. ודמיתי and I shall destroy6<i class="footnote">On Hos. 4:5, I. E. remarks that דמה followed by אל signifies to be similar, without אל to destroy.</i> (Hos. 4:5). 
  <i>Kir</i>. Name of a province of Moab; comp. Am. 9:7
  
  Verse 2
  
  הבית <i>The inhabitant of Bayith</i>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., To Bajith.</i> יושב הבית═הבית; 
  Bayith is a place in Moab.8<i class="footnote">I. E. does not take the high places as in apposition to Bajith and Dibon, because Dibon is mentioned as the name of a town which the Gadites had built (Numb. 32:34), while במה a high place, is only a sanctuary for worship and sacrifice.</i> 
  <i>To the high places</i>. In order to worship the idols.
  <i>Their heads</i>. The heads of the Moabites.
  גרועה <i>A cutting</i>. It is a noun, (not a participle); comp. חבלתו חוב his pledge for the debt9<i class="footnote">גרועה can be participle passive fem. Kal of גדע to cut, or a noun like גבורה victory. (Ex. 32:18); the former is rejected, probably because וקן is masculine. It is, however, not clear why reference is made to Ez. 18:7; if it were only to prove the existence of a form פְּעוּלָה for nouns, better examples could be given, and even from the book of Isaiah itself; עזובה (6:12) is declared by I. E. to be a noun; and ובחברתו And with his stripes (53:5) is certainly nearer and more similar to גְּדוּעָה than is חֲבֹלָתוֹ. The quotation is perhaps intended to be an example for the omission of the preposition ב before כל וקן. This ellipsis is explained by I. E. in two ways; by assuming that the preposition is sometimes omitted, <i>e.g.</i> חבלתו בחוב═חבלתו חוב, or by extending the force of the preposition before בל ראשיו, and referring it also to כל זקן.</i> (Ez. 18:7). 
  The preposition ב on before כל ראשיו governs also .10<i class="footnote">The passage is to be rendered, according to I. E., And on every beard is cutting.</i>כל זקן Comp. Gen. 49:25.11<i class="footnote">The words referred to are מאל אביך ויעזרך ואת שדי, which are equal to מאל אביך ויעזרך ומאת שדי By the Lord of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>In their streets</i>. In the streets of the Moabites.12<i class="footnote">The masculine suffix is referred to the inhabitants, the feminine to the country; in the former case יושב inhabitant or עם people, in the latter ארץ (f.) land is supplied.</i>12<i class="footnote">The masculine suffix is referred to the inhabitants, the feminine to the country; in the former case יושב inhabitant or עם people, in the latter ארץ (f.) land is supplied.</i>
  גגותיה <i>Her roofs</i>. The roofs of the country.
  ייליל <i>Shall howl</i>. Comp. ייטיב he will do good13<i class="footnote">The regular future Hiphil of יטב is יִיִטִיב, that of ילל is יִיִלִיל.</i> (Job 24:31); in both cases the sounding of the radical is an anomaly.
  
  Verse 4
  
  נפשו ירעה לו <i>His soul shall cry out unto him</i>.14<i class="footnote">A. V., His life shall be grievous unto him.</i> The soul of Moab shall cry out15<i class="footnote">ירעה is derived by I. E. from רוע ═ ירע to cry out.</i> unto him, or the soul of every one of the armed soldiers will shout and say.
  
  Verse 5
  
  למואב For Moab.
  בריחיה ונו׳ <i>Her bars</i>, etc.16<i class="footnote">A. V., His fugitives.</i> The bars of the country cry, etc.; comp. Howl, O gate (14:31); or Her bars have been brought to Egypt,17<i class="footnote">Zoan is, according to Targum and LXX., Tanis on the Nile. It is remarkable that I. E. identifies Zoar and Zoan, while he is generally opposed to the supposition of an interchange of letters, except אֹ הֹ וֹ יֹ.</i> whence the king of Assyria was coming,18<i class="footnote">Against Jerusalem, after having conquered Moab.</i> or to Zoar19<i class="footnote">See Gen. 13:10, 19:22.</i> near Sodom; in either case ענלת שלישיה a heifer of three years oldis in apposition to Zoar;20<i class="footnote">I. E. does not explain why Zoar or Zoan is called a heifer of three years old. According to Kimchi, because a heifer of three years old is big and strong.</i> or בריחיה being equivalent to בורחיה —not to ברוחיה for how could a participle passive be formed of a neuter verb!—her fugitive men came to Zoar.
  יעערו <i>They shall raise up</i>. The second ע is not radical, but the reduplication of the radical ע. The form is irregular.21<i class="footnote">The regular Polel of עור is יְעֹרֵרוּ.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Nimrim</i>. Name of a place.22<i class="footnote">It is not clear whether I. E. takes only נמרים or מי נמרים together, as the name of the place; the latter is more probable.</i>
  משמות <i>Desolation</i>.23<i class="footnote">A. V., Desolate.</i> It is a noun; for were it participle Hiphil of a verb (שמם) ע״ע, the ש would have Hirek (מְשִׁמּוֹת)
  
  Verse 7
  
  יתרה <i>Abundance</i>. A noun.
  עשה <i>He hath gotten</i>. Comp. Deut. 8:17.
  ופקדתם <i>And that which they have laid up</i>. Comp. פקדון that which hath been delivered him to keep (Lev. 5:23).—They will carry their treasures to the willows of the brook, to hide them there, or better they will carry away their treasures by boats on a certain river in their land, which flows between willows; that is, they will carry their property to another place, where it may be kept for them.
  
  Verse 8
  
  עד <i>Unto</i>. To be repeated before באר אלים unto Beer Elim.
  
  Verse 9
  
  דם <i>Blood</i>. The blood of the slain of Moab.
  נוספות <i>Additional evils</i>.24<i class="footnote">A. V., More.</i> Supply רעות evils; comp. מלות עזות═עזות impertinent words (Prov. 18:23).
  כי אשית <i>For I will bring</i>. To be repeated before לפלטת: for I will bring against the remnant of Moab a lion, namely the king of Assyria.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  כר <i>The dromedary</i>.1<i class="footnote">A. V., The lamb.</i> A species of camel, that runs swiftly; comp. הכרי the swift messenger2<i class="footnote">Literally, the rider on the dromedary or its leader. See I. E. on Gen. 31:34.</i> (2 Kings 11:19). According to some, הכר the dromedary, is called מושל ארץ the ruler of the earth, because its strides over the ground are the greatest;3<i class="footnote">R. Jonah Ibn Ganah is mentioned by Kimchi as the author of this opinion.</i> but it is more correct to say that כר is in the construct state: the animal is found only in the possession of monarchs.4<i class="footnote">I. E. means to say that only princes kept such animals for their messengers; either because they were expensive, or because only the princes wanted them for the transmission of important state-messages; and that therefore the expression is used: The dromedary of the ruler of the land. According to this opinion, we must assume that the word כר dromedary is here used instead of כרי the rider.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  והיה <i>And he</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., It.</i> <i>shall be</i>. The Moabite shall be. 
  <i>The daughters of Moab</i>. The villages. Comp. Num. 21:32
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>Take counsel</i>, etc. The prophet says to Moab, Before this misfortune befalls thee, take counsel for thyself.
  פלילה <i>Judgment</i>. The form of the word is like that of אכילה eating (1 Kings 21:32); comp. פלילים judges (Deut. 32:21).
  <i>Thy shadow</i>. To hide the Israelites, when they take refuge with thee. נדחים <i>Outcasts</i>. People that are banished from their home.
  נודד <i>Him that wandereth</i>, without being banished.6<i class="footnote">The difference between נדח and נודד is probably derived from the fact that the former is a passive form, participle Niphal, the latter active, participle Kal.</i> <i>Bewray not</i>, when he cometh unto thee.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Mine outcasts</i>. The outcasts, who are the brethren of the prophet, or who are the people of the Lord.7<i class="footnote">The first person used by a prophet may be referred to the prophet that speaks, or to God in whose name he speaks, and whose words he faithfully communicates to us.</i> It is certainly flattering attribute assigned to the Israelites. 
  <i>The spoiler</i>, who had conquered Samaria, viz., the king of Assyria. 
  <i>For the extortioner</i>, etc. For there shall yet be a time, when this tyrant will perish and oppression cease.
  המץ <i>The extortioner</i>. A transitive adjective; root מצץ to suck, or to press; comp. תמצו You press out (66:11). 
  <i>They are gone</i>. The armies of <i>the oppressor</i>, the king of Assyria, are gone.8<i class="footnote">The plural of the verb תמו does not agree with the singular רומס; I. E. supplies therefore the word מחנות armies, as the noun governing the genitive רומם of the oppressor.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  בחסד For the piety9<i class="footnote">The throne will be established as a reward for the piety of Hezekiah. A. V., In mercy,</i> (of Hezekiah). 
  <i>The throne</i> of royalty.
  <i>In the tabernacle of David</i>. In Jerusalem.
  <i>A judge</i>. Hezekiah.
  מהיר <i>Quick</i>.10<i class="footnote">A. V., hasting.</i> Root מהר to be quick; comp. מהרה quickly.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>We have heard</i>. The prophet represents now the Israelites or the other nations as speaking.
  נא <i>Proud</i>. The omission of the ה is irregular.11<i class="footnote">Root גאה to be proud. Kimchi compares נֵּאֶה ═ נֵּא with רֵעֶה ═ רֵעַ friend.</i>
  לא כן בדיו <i>His branches</i>12<i class="footnote">A. V., lies. Branches is a figurative expression for children: the meaning of the whole phrase is, his children will not be as proud as he is.</i> <i>will not be so</i>. Comp. בדים branches (Ez. 17:6). Others render בדיו his thoughtsand כן right; comp. Num. 27:7. As to בדיו his thoughtscomp. בדיך thy words (Job 11:3)
  
  Verse 7
  
  לאשישי קיר חרשת תהגו אך נכאים Some explain, For the foundations of Kir Haresheth shall you mourn, Surely they are stricken; that is, they will think of the present ruins of Kir Haresheth, when people will speak of their former grandeur. As to אשישי foundations, comp. the Chaldæan אֻשַׁיָא the foundations (Ezra 4:12). I, however, prefer to connect לאשישי with אשישי flagons (Hos. 3:1), since the vine of Sibma is mentioned immediately afterwards, and to explain the passage thus—When you will remember the joyful days of the past, which are a contrast to the distress now prevailing, you will lament that you are stricken.13<i class="footnote">In both explanations the words אך נבאים are the words uttered by the Moabites in their grief; in the first we have to supply הֶם they, that is the foundations; in the second אנחנו we.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  שדמות <i>Vine trees</i>.14<i class="footnote">A. V., Fields.</i> Comp. Deut. 32:32.
  אמלל <i>Languisheth</i>.15<i class="footnote">A. V., Languish.</i> Each of them languisheth.16<i class="footnote">See c. ii., Note 18.</i>
  בעלי גוים <i>The chief of nations</i>.17<i class="footnote">A. V., The lords of the heathen.</i> Comp.18<i class="footnote">The instances quoted are to prove the use of the plural of nouns denoting master or lord in reference to an individual.</i> אדני יוסף the master of Joseph (Gen. 39:20). לבעליו to his owner (Ex. 21:34). The king19<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has והם מלכי אשור, The kings of Assyria are meant, but the instances quoted by I. E. show that בעלי signifies chief, not chiefs. We must therefore read either והוא מלך אשור, And this is the king of Assyria, or או הם מלכי אשור, or the kings of Assyria are meant thereby. In the latter case a second explanation is given, which leaves to the plural בעלי its proper meaning chiefs.</i> of Assyria is meant by בעלי הגוים the chief of nations.
  הלמו <i>Have broken down</i>. Root הלם to smite; comp. והלמה And she smote (Judg. 5:26).
  <i>They are come even unto Jazer</i>. They are so long.
  <i>They wandered into the wilderness</i>. They extended beyond the boundaries of the inhabited land.
  שלוחתיה <i>Her trees</i>.20<i class="footnote">A. V., Her branches.</i> Comp. שלחיך פרדס דמונים thy plants an orchard of pomegranates (Song 4:13).
  נטשו <i>They spread</i>. Comp. נטושים spread (2 Sam. 30:16)
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>I will bewail</i>. These are the words which every Moabite will speak.
  <i>Sibma</i>. Name of a place; supply על for.21<i class="footnote">Before נפן For the vine of Sibma.</i>
  אריוך <i>I will water thee</i>. An irregular form; י is instead of ו, and ו instead of ה; the pronominal suffix of the second person refers to Heshbon, the largest province of Moab.
  קיצך <i>Thy summer fruit</i>. Thy fruit of the summer (קַיִץ).
  הידד <i>Hedad</i>. A word used by those that stamp and trample about, causing damage to the fruits and the com while they are still fresh.22<i class="footnote">According to I. E. קיץ and קציר denote here the fruits and corn, while not yet fit for the press and threshing floor; and Hedad, an interjection uttered by people running and trampling about, indicates therefore the destruction of the harvest caused by the hostile armies; but Hedad in the next verse accompanying the treading and pressing of the grapes in the wine-press, is the cause of rejoicing to the owner of the vineyard.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>The gladness is gathered</i>, to be taken away from them and given to others; it will leave them. 
  <i>The Karmel</i>. A part of which belonged to Moab.23<i class="footnote">Mount Karmel is generally believed to be in the west of Palestine, a promontory on the Mediterranean sea. I. E. supposes perhaps the existence of another Mount Karmel in the east of the Jordan, between the land of Moab and Israel.</i>
  ירועע <i>He will shout</i>. Comp. תרועה blowing the trumpet (Lev. 23:24); ירועע is Polel of a verb הידד.24<i class="footnote">Root רוע to shout.</i> 
  ע״ו <i>Hedad</i>. The hedad is pleasant, when it is heard at the wine press, at the time when the wine is produced; but its effect is of an opposite character, when it is heard in the midst of the fresh fruits and corn.22<i class="footnote">According to I. E. קיץ and קציר denote here the fruits and corn, while not yet fit for the press and threshing floor; and Hedad, an interjection uttered by people running and trampling about, indicates therefore the destruction of the harvest caused by the hostile armies; but Hedad in the next verse accompanying the treading and pressing of the grapes in the wine-press, is the cause of rejoicing to the owner of the vineyard.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>Wherefore my heart</i>, etc. These are not the words of the prophet, but of the Moabites, whom the prophet represents as speaking.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Moab is weary</i>, etc. He is tired of going up to the high place for the worship of idols; or it is to be taken in the same sense as ולא יוכל And he shall not prevail. The second explanation is preferable.25<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation, the Moabites visit the high place so often, that they are tired of it; they see that it is without any use for them. According to the second, they wish to worship on the high places, but they are weary before reaching them, because of the continual trouble and anxiety caused by the enemy.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>Hath spoken</i>. His word is His decree.26<i class="footnote">The decrees of the Lord are according to I. E. not mere words, but facts; they are the first step towards their realisation.</i> The expression hath spoken, is a figure taken from the custom of a king, who gives the orders to his servants. The figure is used in order to bring the idea of the divine decree nearer to our understanding.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>But now the Lord hath spoken</i>, etc. God hath now revealed this prediction, namely, that three years are left till the fulfilment of the above prophecy. 
  <i>As the years of a hireling</i>, who daily counts when the end will come; so the prophet is satisfied, when he sees that the time of the calamity of Moab approaches.27<i class="footnote">Just the contrary remark is made in Rashi on 15:5: that the prophets sympathised with other nations in their calamities.</i> <i>And the glory of Moab</i>. His great armies. ונקלה וגו׳ Shall be diminished, and but very few will remain.28<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall be contemned, with all that great multitude.</i> 
  לא כביר Not great,29<i class="footnote">A. V., Feeble.</i> quantitative; comp. כבירים many (Job 34:24), or Not great, qualitative; the meaning of the phrase is there will not be left of them any great man; comp. כביר great (Job 36:5)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  מוסר <i>Taken away</i>. Comp. 1<i class="footnote">Hiphil of סור to depart; מוסר is participle Hophal: caused to depart, or taken away.</i>הסיר He took away (18:5). 
  דמשק מוסר מעיר Damascus is taken away from being a city. Join מוסר with the feminine noun דמשק, although it has a masculine form. More correctly, however, דמשק may be taken as equal to עם דמשק the people of Damascus,2<i class="footnote">דמשק מוסר מעיר The people of Damascus will be taken away from the city.</i> especially since in the phrase which follows,3<i class="footnote">That phrase undoubtedly refers to the city of Damascus.</i> the feminine והיתה and she will be, is used.
  מעי <i>Heap</i>. Comp. לעיים to heaps (Ps. 79:1); the מ is not radical.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>The cities</i>, etc. This was caused by the king of Assyria.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>The fortress also shall cease</i>, etc. When Sennacherib came, Damascus had been already conquered and also Samaria with its fortresses.4<i class="footnote">According to the Hebrew text: When Sennacherib came, he took (תפש) Damascus and also Samaria with its fortresses. This is incorrect, for Tiglath Pileser took Damascus in the time of Ahaz (2 Kings 16:7—10), and Shalmaneser conquered Samaria (ibid. 17:9, 10) in the sixth year of King Hezekiah; Sennacherib entered Judah in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah. This incorrectness is probably not the fault of I. E., but that of the copyist; for if we read instead of תפש, the Niphal נתפשה, and translate for when Sennacherib came, Damascus was already conquered, Samaria with its fortresses likewise, we have a better construction of the sentence, and no contradiction of the account given in the Book of Kings. I. E. refers the prophecy of this chapter to the period of the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib.</i> 
  <i>And the remnant of Syria</i>, Damascus was the capital of Syria. <i>They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel</i>, of which it is said, The glory of Jacob shall be made thin (ver. 4). Others explain, And the remnant of Syria will be reduced to so disgraceful a condition, that the condition of the Israelites will be considered glorious, in comparison with the fate of Damascus.5<i class="footnote">ככבוד בני ישראל is, according to this explanation, to be translated by as if it were a glory for the children of Israel, or nearly a glory, etc. For both significations of the prefix כ a sufficient number of instances can be adduced.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>The glory of Israel shall be made thin</i>. The numbers of Israel shall be greatly reduced by slaughter and captivity.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And it shall be</i>, the first time.6<i class="footnote">I. E. does not here explain the repetition of והיה as a poetical figure; because two different periods are here clearly indicated; the gathering of the standing corn at the beginning of the harvest, and the gathering of the ears from the field at the end of the harvest. The two invasions referred to by I. E. are probably the two principal ones of Tiglath Pileser and Shalmaneser. There were, in fact, other invasions, <i>e.g.</i>, that of King Phul.</i>
  כאסף קציר <i>As when the harvestman gathereth the corn</i>. הקוצר the harvestman, must be supplied before קציר. 
  <i>And it shall be</i>, the second time. The king of Assyria came twice against the land of Israel. 
  <i>In the valley of Rephaim</i>. A place where the harvest was bad, thin and meagre.7<i class="footnote">The valley Rephaim is here declared to be a barren valley; it is not certain whether I. E. derives this explanation from the meaning of the word רפה═רפא to be weak, or from some other source.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  כנוקף <i>As the shaking of</i>. Comp. ונקף and he will cut down (10:34); ינקופו let them kill (29:1).
  אמיר <i>The top of the olive-tree</i>.8<i class="footnote">A. V., The uppermost bough.</i> Comp. האמירך He hath exalted thee (Deut. 26:18); the word אמיר has the same meaning in Arabic.9<i class="footnote">أَمِير chief. Comp. Sephath Yether 47.</i> 
  <i>Four or five</i>. Supply berries.
  בסעיפיה פוריה In the branches of the fruitful olive-tree.10<i class="footnote">פוריה is not an attribute to סעיפיה, because it is feminine, while סעיף branch is masculine, but to the noun referred to by the pronoun הָ her, that is, the olive tree. בסעיפיה פוריה means accordingly, In the branches of her that is fruitful. A. V., In the outmost fruitful branches thereof.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  ישעה האדם על עשהו <i>Shall a man look to his maker</i>. Man will renounce his own powers, because of the Lord, and this is the true confidence in God (comp. 2 Sam. 22:42).11<i class="footnote">It is remarkable that I. E. makes a similar remark on all passages where the verb שעה occurs, (comp. 22:4, 31:1, Ex. 5:9), as if he wished to show that they have all the same fundamental meaning, while according to R. Jehudah Hayug this root comprises four meanings. See Two Treatises, etc., ed. John W. Nutt, pp. 97, 113.</i> 
  <i>And his eyes shall see</i>, etc. They shall no more see the worship of idols, for they will only visit places sanctified to the worship of the Lord.
  
  Verse 8
  
  והחמנים <i>Nor the images of the sun</i>.12<i class="footnote">A. V., Nor the images.</i> The נ is not radical; comp. רחמניות merciful (Lam. 4:10). חמנים are images made like chariots in honour of the sun (חַמָּה) as stated in the history of King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:3)
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>His strong cities</i>. The strong cities of Israel.
  החרש <i>The tree</i>.13<i class="footnote">A. V., Bough.</i> Comp. Ezek. 31:3. 
  והאמיר And the uppermost branch. They abandoned everything, the root and the branches, in their flight, when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan. 
  <i>They left</i>. By the pronoun they the Canaanites are meant.
  <i>And she shall be desolate</i>. The prophet speaks here of Samaria, for she was the capital of the kingdom of Israel.14<i class="footnote">This remark is caused by the change of the number from the plural in ערי מעזו his strong cities, to the singular in והיתה And she shall be.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Because thou hast forgotten</i>, etc. The prophet turns now to the people of Samaria, and rebukes them. 
  נעמנים The same as in Arabic; a plant that grows quickly.15<i class="footnote">نَعِمَ to flourish. A. V., pleasant.</i> זר means likewise growing quickly. וזמורת שורק זר ═ וזמורת זר And a branch of a thriving vine-tree.16<i class="footnote">A. V., With strange slips.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  תשגשגי <i>Thou shalt make to grow</i>. Root שנא to be large; comp. שניא great. Thou shalt make it to grow quickly. <i>And in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish</i>. The same. As a general rule for the understanding of the prophetical books, I say, that from the one part of the verse we can infer what the words of the other part signify.17<i class="footnote">This is a very important rule, and if applied with propriety as it is by I. E., one which affords much assistance in finding the true sense of a verse.</i> 
  נד There will depart.18<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall be a heap.</i> קציר <i>The branch</i>.19<i class="footnote">A. V., The harvest.</i> Comp. בקצירי in my branch (Job 29:19)
  נחלה <i>Sore</i>.20<i class="footnote">A. V., Grief</i> Supply מכה plague, to which the word is an attribute (מכה נחלה ═ נחלה), a sore plague; comp. בריאה ומאכלו and their meat plenteous (Hab. 1:16) ═ בריאה ומאכלו אכילה.21<i class="footnote">The assumption of the ellipsis of מכה plague, is based on the difference in respect to the genders of the noun יום (masc.), and the adjective נחלה (fem.); the same is the case in ומאכלו בריאה, which is explained by I. E. to be equal to ומאכלו אכילה בריאה.</i> This explanation is supported by the words which follow: וכאב אנוש and of desperate sorrow; with אנוש con-connect ויאנש and it was very sick (2 Sam. 12:15). Thou hast a great many children, but when the day of affliction shall come they will all perish.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Woe to the multitude of many people</i>, that is, to the king of Assyria and his army, coming against Zion.
  ישאון <i>That make a rushing</i>. It is of the same root (שאה) as שאון noise. The נ in שאון is not radical;22<i class="footnote">Root שאה to rush.</i> the form of the noun is like that of זדון pride (Prov. 11:2)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>But He shall rebuke him</i>. God will rebuke the king of Assyria.
  <i>From far off</i>. That is, far from his own land. 
  <i>And shall be chased</i>. The part of the army that will be left will be pursued.23<i class="footnote">This is not quite in accordance with the words of the account given by Isaiah 37:36, unless the expression all of them (ibid.) be taken as a hyperbole.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>At eveningtide</i>, that is, when the inhabitants of Jerusalem are afraid of him.24<i class="footnote">By this remark, I. E. meant perhaps to say that eventide is to be considered as a figurative expression, signifying distress, anxiety.</i>
  בלהה <i>Trouble</i>. Comp. בלהות terror (Ez. 26:21); בהלה ═ בלהה like כבש ═ כשב lamb.
  <i>And he is not</i>. When the angel will have come forth and destroyed the greater part23<i class="footnote">This is not quite in accordance with the words of the account given by Isaiah 37:36, unless the expression all of them (ibid.) be taken as a hyperbole.</i> of the camp. 
  <i>This is the portion of them that spoil us</i>. These are the words of the prophet in his rejoicing.25<i class="footnote">See c. xvi., note 27.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  הדי <i>Oh !</i>1<i class="footnote">A. V., Woe. See I. E. on 1:4, and c. i., note 13.</i> It is the sign of the vocative case. Comp. Zac. 2:10.
  צלצל <i>Shadowing</i>. Reduplication of צל shadow. A shady land is identical with a wide land.2<i class="footnote">The idea of connecting shady with wide, is probably suggested by the image of a shady tree, whose branches extend over a large area.</i> 
  <i>Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia</i>. That is, beyond the rivers of the kingdom of Assyria.3<i class="footnote">Ethiopia (Kush) is here identified with Assyria. I. E. on Gen. 10:11 seems to deny the connection between Ethiopia and Assyria, and to consider Asshur (═Assyria) as a son of Japheth or Shem, but not as a descendant of Kush (Ethiopia) or Ham. See c. xlii. Note 1.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>That sendeth</i>, etc. That is accustomed to send messengers over the sea. 
  <i>Go</i>, <i>ye swift messengers</i>, and bring good tidings to the Israelites, that are fled or are driven into exile, and are now beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. 
  <i>And in vessels of bulrushes</i>. This phrase is added because of the rivers mentioned before,
  גוי ממשך ומורט <i>A nation dragged and peeled</i>.4<i class="footnote">A. V., Scattered and peeled.</i> The Israelites are meant, that have been dragged from their homes like sheep, until they were flayed from the dragging. 
  <i>To a terrible people</i>. To the Ethiopians.
  מן הוא <i>From thence</i>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., From their beginning.</i> From that people, or from those rivers.6<i class="footnote">ממֶּנּוּ ═ מן הוּא. The pronoun is sometimes written in full, instead of a suffix. That I. E., who is always very particular about the gender and number should have found in the singular הוא a reference to the plural נהרי rivers, is very strange. Instead of נהרי we have perhaps to read עֵבֶר נהרי</i>
  גוי קו קו <i>A nation of line by line</i>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., A nation meted out.</i> A nation whose intellect is like that of a child, who is taught gradually, line by line. ומבוסה And therefore it is trodden down.
  בזאו <i>They have spoiled</i>. א is to replace the second ז of the root which is omitted; comp. דליו they are thin8<i class="footnote">Root דלל to be poor. דללו ═ דליו as בזזו ═ בואו.8a I. E. himself is of opinion that בָּזוּ ═ בזאו. See Moznaim, sub voce, המתחלפים, and Zahoth, On the Numerals, sub voce עשרים.</i> (Prov. 26:7). This is the explanation of R. Moses Hakkohen. 
  <i>Rivers</i>. This is a figure for kings; comp. The water of the river9<i class="footnote">To this phrase Isaiah adds the explanation: The king of Assyria.</i> (8:7)
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>All ye inhabitants of the world</i>. As if a banner were raised over the whole earth.
  <i>You shall hear</i>, so as to know the work of the Lord, which He has done in the camp of Sennacherib.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>I will take my rest</i>. This refers to the divine glory10<i class="footnote">In order to remove the anthropomorphism, God takes rest, I. E. substitutes for God, or the pronoun referring to Him, the word שכינה (lit. dwelling,) the divine glory revealed in His works. This divine glory, he says, remained in Jerusalem, that is, revealed itself in the deliverance of the holy city from the threatened humiliation by Sennacherib.</i> which remained. 
  ואביטה And I shall see.11<i class="footnote">What I. E. means to say by this remark can hardly be discovered, unless we suppose that he read מכוני instead of במכוני—the word is quoted by I. E. without ב—and explained by this remark, the exceptional construction of the verb הביט with a noun without the preposition ב; he says that it has the meaning of ראה to see, which governs the accusative.</i>
  מכוני <i>My dwelling-place</i>, Jerusalem. 
  אויר צח ═ צח Pure air.12<i class="footnote">According to I. E. the words כחם צח אלי אור, must be rendered when the pure air is warm after the rain. A. V., Like a clear heat upon herbs.</i>12<i class="footnote">According to I. E. the words כחם צח אלי אור, must be rendered when the pure air is warm after the rain. A. V., Like a clear heat upon herbs.</i>
  עלי אור <i>After rain</i>. Comp. ענן אורו the cloud of his rain13<i class="footnote">A. V., His bright cloud.</i> (Job 37:11). The sun is also called אור, the moon too,—comp. אורים גדולים great luminaries14<i class="footnote">Sun and moon.</i> (Ps. 136:7)—because they are the cause of the rain,14a<i class="footnote">The same remark is made by I.E. in Gen. 2:6.</i> but of course only at the will of the Almighty.
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  גומל <i>Ripening</i>, Comp. ויגמל And it ripened (Num. 17:23). יהיה נצה Will still be in the flower. 
  <i>And He will cut off</i>. The pronoun refers to God.
  הזלזלים <i>The sprigs</i>. The branches which are joined to the root; the word is hap. leg.
  הנטישות The large branches, that spread (נטש) widely. 
  כרת ═ התז He cut. This verb is often met with in Rabbinical Hebrew.15<i class="footnote">Comp. Talmud Babli. Gittin 70a, Synhedrin, 52b.</i> The two verbs in the past follow each other without a conjunction, like חמק עבר Hath gone, passed by (Song 5:6). The meaning of the verse is: The Assyrians will perish before the fruit of their devices will be ripe.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>They will be left</i>, etc. The host of Assyria, having been destroyed through the angel, will be left, etc.
  לעיט <i>To the fowl</i> (comp. Gen. 15:11); its forms are like those of שֵׁשׁ (Est. 1:6), and שַׁיִשׁ (1 Chron. 29:2), marble.
  וקץ <i>And shall summer</i>. Comp. קיץ summer (Gen. 8:22).
  תחרף <i>Shall winter</i>. Comp. הֹרֶף winter (Gen. 8:22).—The beasts will remain there to eat the corpses of the killed.
  
  Verse 7
  
  שי <i>Present</i>. Comp. Ps. 76:12.
  <i>A people dragged and peeled</i>. Israel, who has been dragged and flayed during the period of his captivity, will now be brought, to the honour of God, to His abode on Mount Zion. According to R. Moses Hakkohen, this chapter describes the redemption announced by the words—The Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of the people, etc.16<i class="footnote">This verse describes, according to R. Moses Hakkohen, the deliverance of the Israelites in the time of Hezekiah. Comp. I. E. on 11:11.</i> (11:11.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>The Lord rideth upon a swift cloud</i>. This figure signifies the imminent fulfilment of the divine decrees.
  
  Verse 2
  
  וסכסכתי <i>And I will set</i>. Comp. יסכסך He will set up (9:10)
  
  Verse 3
  
  ונבקה <i>And shall fail</i>. Root בקק to empty. Comp. בוקק maketh empty (24:1). נבקה is Niphal of בקק, and is formed like נסבה and it will be wound about1<i class="footnote">The regular form of the Niphal third person fem. sing. past of בקק and סבב is נָסַבָּה נָבַקָּה, but the reduplication is very often neglected in the verbs עיע. Comp. יָזְמוּ ,וְנָבְלָה (Gen. 11:6,7) from בלל and זטם.</i> (Ez. 41:7).
  אטים <i>Charmers</i>. Comp. אט softly (1 Kings 21:27); אטים signifies things that are done secretly.
  
  Verse 4
  
  וסכרתי <i>And I will give over</i>. The כ is here, according to some, substituted for נ, but, in fact, only the silent letters interchange; it is rather to be compared with ויסכרו and were stopped2<i class="footnote">The second explanation is not different from the first in substance, but in the wording, because after all סכר means the same as סגר to shut, to stop, to deliver up, whether we say that the former is derived from the latter by the change of ג into כ or not.</i> (Gen. 8:2).
  אדנים קשה <i>A cruel lord</i>. The grammatical irregularity is already explained (Ex. 21:4).3<i class="footnote">On Exod. 21:4, I. E. remarks that the plural form of a noun is sometimes used to signify one person, as a mark of honour and distinction, but that this only applies to nouns, not to verbs or adjectives.</i> 
  <i>And a fierce king</i>. The king of Assyria.
  
  Verse 5
  
  ונשתו <i>And shall be dried up</i>.4<i class="footnote">A. V., And shall fail, faileth.</i> Comp. לשונם בצמא נשתה their tongue is dry for thirst (41:17)
  
  Verse 6
  
  והאזניחו <i>And shall leave.5<i class="footnote">A. V., And they shall turn far away.</i></i>. א is epenthetic. והאזניחו נהרות And the people will leave the rivers.6<i class="footnote">They will leave the rivers, on the fruitful banks of which they had settled, because they are now barren and waste.</i>
  דללו <i>They shall be poor</i>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall be emptied.</i> Comp. דל poor (Lev. 14:21).
  יאורי מצור <i>The ponds of siege</i>.8<i class="footnote">A. V., The rivers of defence.</i> The ponds which are prepared in order that the enemy should not be able to destroy the inhabitants through want of water, when he besieges the town.
  קנה וסוף <i>The reeds and flags</i>. The plants on the banks of the river.
  קמלו <i>Shall be cut off</i>.9<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall wither.</i> Another instance of the same root occurs in this book (33:9)
  
  Verse 7
  
  ערות Some compare it with מתערה spreading himself (Ps. 37:35), and say that it means green;10<i class="footnote">A. V., The paper reeds.</i> all green herbs that grow on the banks of the river and at its mouth, and all that is sown near the river, all will dry up. Others, The banks of the river and its mouths have been stripped of every thing that had been there, for the plants may be considered as a covering to them.11<i class="footnote">ערה to be naked, to be without the covering; ערות naked places is, according to this remark, the proper expression for banks of rivers which are bare of their usual verdure, the verdure being, as it were, the covering of the earth.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  ואנו And they shall mourn.
  הדיגים <i>The fishers</i>. A noun analogous to גַּנָּבִים thieves (1:23).
  חכה <i>Angle</i>. Comp. בחכה with an angle (Hab. 1:15), an instrument by which the fish are caught. Many derive the word from חֵךְ palate, but they are far from being right.12<i class="footnote">I. E. does not show, why he rejects this derivation; it seems rather probable that חכה angle is derived from חֵךְ palate, because the hook takes hold of the fish in the palate.</i> 
  מכמרת Net.
  
  Verse 9
  
  שריקות <i>Red</i>.13<i class="footnote">A. V., Fire.</i> Some compare it with משרק comb, but more correctly it is derived from שורק vine branch (5:2), and it signifies, having the colour of the vine branch, red; comp. שרקים red (Zac. 1:8). 
  חורי It is either an adjective, meaning white,14<i class="footnote">A. V., Net-works.</i> or a noun, signifying fine things, חוֹרָי being a plural form used instead of חורים; comp. חוֹרֵי the nobles of (Jer. 27:20).15<i class="footnote">As the Hebrew text stands וכמוהו חוֹרֵי יהודה, it is not clear what this instance is to prove; the regular construct state חוֹרֵי does not contribute anything to the explanation of the irregular form חוֹרָי. The text seems to be incorrect; after כמוהו some instance like חַלוֹנָי windows (Jer. 22:17), or נּוֹבַי grasshoppers (Am. 12:1) is expected, and instead of חורי יהודה we should perhaps read בהראות היו״ד the י being sounded. (See Rashi and Michlal Jophi ad locum.)</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  שתותיה <i>Her foundations</i>.16<i class="footnote">A. V., In the purposes thereof.</i> Comp. Ps. 11:3. The buildings which they erect to take the fish in.
  שכר <i>Sluices</i>. Comp. ויסכרו and they were stopped (Gen. 8:2), although שכר is spelt with שֹ; comp. בסורי ═ בשורי when I depart (Hos. 9:12).
  אנמי נפש <i>The ponds for fish</i>. Ponds containing the lives (נפש) of the fish.17<i class="footnote">This explanation is against the accents, which require שכר rather to be joined to עשי than to the following word. According to I. E. שכר together with נפש אנמי is one expression, the object to עשי; the latter should therefore have a disjunctive accent, <i>e.g</i>., עֹשֵֹ֖י שֶֹכֶ֥ר אַנְמֵי־נָ֑פֶשֹ.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  חכמי פרעה, יעצי פרעה ═ חכמי יועצי פרעה <i>The wise men of Pharaoh</i>, <i>the counsellors of Pharaoh</i>.18<i class="footnote">A. V., The wise counsellors of Pharaoh.</i> This is an elliptical expression; comp. נחרי נחלי דבש Rivers, brooks of honey19<i class="footnote">An ellipsis like this may be supposed, wherever two co-ordinate nouns govern one genitive; by here calling our attention to it, I. E. seems to reject the assumption that the second noun יעצי is a genitive governed by the first noun חכמי: the wise of the counsellors of Pharaoh.</i> (Job 20:17).
  נבערה <i>Foolish</i>.20<i class="footnote">A. V., Is become brutish;.</i> Comp. בער fool (Ps. 73:22). 
  <i>I am a son of wise men</i>. Comp. A son of free men (Koh. 10:17). Each of them will praise himself: my father was wise, my forefathers in days of old were also kings.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Where are thy wise men</i>, etc. If they in reality be the sons of wise men, of royal family, why do they not know what God has decided for Egypt.
  
  Verse 13
  
  נואלו <i>Are become fools</i>. Comp. נואלנו we acted foolishly (Num. 12:11).
  נשאו <i>They are deceived</i>. Comp. השיאני hath beguiled me (Gen. 3:13); it is Niphal.
  פנת <i>The stay</i>. The nobles. Comp. פנות the chiefs (Judges 20:2).
  שבטיה <i>The tribes thereof</i>, that is, her families.
  
  Verse 14
  
  נסך ═ מסך <i>Hath mingled</i>. The two roots have the same meaning, namely, to mingle.
  עועים <i>Perverseness</i>. An irregular form of עוה to overturn. Comp. עַוָּה Overturned (Ez. 21:32)
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>Head or tail</i>. Even a plant in its integrity, with head and tail, will not be left to them. Others take the phrase and explain it figuratively, They are wandering about and do not know what to begin; they can do neither the work of the head, of the old and noble (9:14), nor that of the tail, of the common people. In the same way the phrase, palm-tree and reed, is to be explained.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>And it shall be afraid</i>, etc. When the Egyptians shall have heard these decrees of the Lord, and also witnessed their fulfilment, they will fear the Lord.
  
  Verse 17
  
  לחגא <i>For a terror</i>. Comp. יחגו they reel to and fro (Ps. 107:27). ובמחוגה and with the compass21<i class="footnote">Root חוג ═ חגג, to move about, to stagger, to fear.</i> (44:13). 
  <i>The land of Jehudah</i>. The glory of God, which is manifested in that land, is meant.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>The language of Canaan</i>. We may learn from this that the Canaanites spoke the holy language.22<i class="footnote">According to I. E., the prophet undoubtedly means to say that Hebrew will be spoken in Egypt. If this be granted, the inference is right that the Canaanites spoke the Hebrew language, since the expression Canaan is here used for Hebrew. Rashi explains: The holy language spoken by the Israelites, who dwell in Canaan.</i> 
  עיר ההרס23<i class="footnote">A. V., The city of destruction.</i> The name of a town. It is surprising how people can confound ה with ח 24<i class="footnote">The Targum has besides the literal translation of עיר ההרס, namely  דעתידא למחרב קרתא city of destruction, also the name בית שמש, the city of the sun, the origin of which some find in the reading of עיר החרס, instead of עיר ההרס. As to חרס sun, comp. Job 9:7. See Rashi, <i>ad locum</i>.</i>.(ההרס with החרס)
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>Shall there be an altar</i>, etc. The explanation of the Midrash is known, that the altar refers to the slaughter of the Egyptians;25<i class="footnote">This is not mentioned in Yalkut, nor is any allusion made to it by Rashi or Targum.</i> but the verse can be explained literally.26<i class="footnote">Some take it literally, and point for the fulfilment of this prophecy to the altar built in Egypt by Onias. See Menachoth, 109 b.; Josephus Antiq., XII. 11:7.</i> Comp. And they will worship with sacrifice and meat-offering (ver. 21)
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>They shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors</i>, etc. Whosoever will be in trouble will come thither to bring his offering.
  ורב <i>And a great one</i>.27<i class="footnote">According to I. E. מושיע ורב may be explained as <i>ἐν διà δυoῖν</i>: a deliverer who is also a great man; a great deliverer. It would be a more natural explanation to take רב as participle of ריב to plead; a helper and a defender.</i> Comp. רב chief (Est. 1:8)
  
  Verse 21
  
  ועבדו בזבח ═ ועבדו זבח And they shall worship with sacrifice.
  
  Verse 22
  
  ורפאם רפא ═ ורפא And he will surely heal them.
  ונעתר <i>And he will be entreated</i>. He will accept their prayer.
  
  Verse 23
  
  אשורה To Assyria.—Egypt and Assyria will be in peace together, after a part of the Egyptians have been taken captive and made subjects of the king of Assyria.28<i class="footnote">This assertion is probably based on the last words of this verse, מצרים את אשור ועברו, And the Egyptians shall serve the Assyrians. (A. V., with the Assyrians.) The Hebrew את can, however, be explained in two ways: as the sign of the objective case, and as a preposition signifying with.</i>
  
  Verse 24
  
  שלשיה <i>The third</i>. Most of the commentators compare it with ושלשים and chiefs29<i class="footnote">Literally, according to I. E., officers of the third rank. Comp. I. E. on Exod. 14:7.</i> (Ex. 14:7); but they must presume the existence of the second degree before they speak of the third.30<i class="footnote">If שלישיה meant chief, it would signify, according to I. E., an officer of a lower rank that had above him the משנה, the officer of the second rank, that is, the officer next to the king. I. E. hesitates to give this attribute to the Israelites, as if the Assyrians and Egyptians were superior to them, and explains therefore שלישיה a third in the alliance with Egypt and Assyria.</i> More naturally it is derived from שלשה three, and explained by the third; for there will be in Assyria people that will know the Lord, and many more so in Egypt; and Israel will be a blessing in the midst of the land, for through him Egypt and part of Assyria will know the Lord.31<i class="footnote">Comp. next verse.</i>
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>Whom the Lord of hosts hath blessed</i>. For the Lord has blessed Israel, therefore he will be a blessing, etc; or He has blessed each of the three.32<i class="footnote">The question is here, to which word does the pronoun in בֵּרְכוֹ he blessed him refer. The one explanation refers it to Israel; because God has blessed Israel, therefore he can again be a source of blessing to other nations. The second explanation refers it to Israel, Egypt, and Assyria, and explains the singular of the pronoun in the usual way, each of them.</i> 
  <i>My people</i>. Because they will erect an altar to the Lord publicly, He calls them my people. 
  <i>And the work of my hands</i> (and not my people), for there will be only a few of them that will know the work of the Lord. 
  <i>And mine inheritance</i>. Israel remains His inheritance for ever, for Assyria and Egypt are this only temporarily in comparison with Israel. The Chaldæan translation renders this passage thus: Blessed be my people that is in Egypt.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Sargon</i>.1<i class="footnote">According to Niebuhr (Geschichte Assurs und Babels, p. 160 ff.) Sargon is the name of a king between Tiglath Pileser and Sennacherib, and identical with Shalmaneser.</i> Either Sennacherib or another Assyrian king. 
  <i>Ashdod</i>. A place belonging to the Philistines.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>And loose the sackcloth</i>, etc. This shows that the prophet wore sackcloth. It would be a strange thing that the prophet should have gone naked, as a sign for Egypt. I shall explain this circumstance, with the help of the Lord, at the beginning of the minor prophets (Hos. 1:1).2<i class="footnote">I. E. explains this as a vision. Isaiah saw in a vision that he was going naked, as a symbol for Egypt; as Hosea saw in a vision himself marrying a harlot, and having children by her, to whom be gave symbolical names as allusions to the fate of his people.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  ומופת <i>And an example</i>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., Wonder, sign.</i>3<i class="footnote">A. V., Wonder, sign.</i> Comp. And Ezekiel shall be unto you an example (Ez. 24:24). 
  שלש שנים וגו׳ Either in three years from that day,4<i class="footnote">בעוד שלש שנים═שלש שנים.</i> or three years, shall Egypt be in misfortune.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Ethiopia</i>, that came to help them.
  וַחְַשׁוּפַי <i>And my naked people</i>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., And uncovered</i> The first person refers either to the prophet, the people whose nakedness he indicated by going naked, or to God; the people whom God hath made bare.6<i class="footnote">I. E. considers the ending –ַי in וחשופַי as a pronominal suffix of the first person. It is generally believed to be equivalent to וחשופֵי, the construct state of the plural חשופים.</i>
  שת <i>The back</i>. Comp. 2 Sam. 10:14.
  ערות מצרים Either, To the shame of Egypt; or join וחשופי, mentioned before, also to ערות, so that ערות מצרים is in apposition to .7<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation ערות מצרים refers to the whole sentence. All the preceding will be to the disgrace of Egypt; according to the second, it is the complement to וחשופי uncovered with regard to their nakedness.</i>שת
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And they shall be afraid</i>. The Israelites, that flee to Egypt, will fear. 
  <i>Their expectation</i>. The country to which their eyes are directed for help.
  <i>Their glory</i>. Of whom—that is, of whose alliance—they were proud.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The inhabitant of this isle</i>. The Israelites, who live in these islands near Egypt, will say, 
  This has happened to those to whom we fled, etc.8<i class="footnote">The last two verses are generally referred to Ashdod, which, being situated on the sea, and commanding the islands, is called אי island.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  מדבר ים The desert1<i class="footnote">Babylon, whose destruction the prophet is going to predict, is already called a desert by prolepsis.</i> of the west, that is, Babylon, which is west of Persia and Media; or the desert of the sea,2<i class="footnote">The river Euphrates may be called ים sea, on account of its width.</i> ים being taken in its original sense, the sea. 
  לחלוף To pass through.
  <i>He cometh from the desert</i>. He, the enemy, comes from the desert, and not from the sea.3<i class="footnote">It is not clear what I. E. means by this remark; the passage is, perhaps, corrupt, and originally expressed some attribute of the enemy.</i> 
  <i>From a terrible land</i>. From Persia and Media.
  
  Verse 2
  
  חזות A vision.
  <i>Grievous</i> for Babylon.
  <i>Unto me</i>. The first person refers to the prophet.4<i class="footnote">This is not the opinion of I. E. himself, as he remarks below, in this same verse; the first person refers to Belshazzar, who is here represented as speaking.</i> 
  <i>The treacherous dealer</i>, etc. He who wishes to be treacherous and rebellious will be able to be so, and he who wishes to rob will be able to rob. 
  <i>Elam</i>. A Persian province.5<i class="footnote">See c. xiii. Note 7.</i>
  צוּרִֽי <i>Besiege</i>. Root צור to besiege; comp. וצרת and thou wilt besiege (Deut. 20:12). It has the accent on the last syllable, like שׁוּבִֽי return (Ps. 116:7).6<i class="footnote">The regular form is צֽוּרִי. The accent of the verbs ע״ו and עיע, remains on the first letter of the root as long as the principal rules of the Hebrew accentuation permit it.</i> 
  <i>All the sighing thereof have I made to cease</i>. Some explain, None will be left that should sigh for Babylon; others, All the sighing she has caused, has ceased. I think that the whole passage, from the beginning of this verse7<i class="footnote">The text has the words מתחלת כל אנחתה, from the beginning of ‘All sighing thereof;’ but if I. E. intended to say, from the words ‘ All sighing thereof,’ he would have said מכל אנחתה, from All the sighing thereof; besides, I. E. says distinctly in giving the context, that the preceding words were also spoken by Belshazzar. The translation is based on the conjecture, that the original copy had the words מתחלת הפסוק from the beginning of the verse, instead of מתחלת כל אנחתה, from the beginning of ‘ All the sighing thereof.’—I. E. seems to have read אַנְחָתָהּ with a Dagesh.</i> till the end of the chapter, is the speech which the prophet put into the mouth of King Belshazzar; for it is well known that the prophet rejoiced in the fall of Babylon; how, then, could he have said, Therefore are my loins filled with pain (ver. 3)? The connection is as follows: the king says, When I heard the cry, ‘ Go up, O Elam ‘—the soldiers used to call out in battle the name of their country—I made all her sighing cease with musical instruments; the vessels of the house of the Lord were brought, and they8<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has ושתה, And he drank; but this is probably a part of the speech of Belshazzar, since it is continued even in the next verse, and it explains how Belshazzar made the sighing of Babylon cease; not only by music, but also by drinking, and using for this purpose the holy vessels of the Temple of Jerusalem; instead of ושתה, the plural ושתו is to be read.</i> drank out of them, while Babylon was in siege and distress.9<i class="footnote">Comp. Dan. 5:1, and 5:30.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>Therefore</i>. Because I heard the cry, Go up, O Elam, I neither heard nor saw anything on account of my great fear.
  
  Verse 4
  
  פלצות <i>Boasting</i>.10<i class="footnote">A. V., Fearfulness.</i> Comp. מפלצתה her pride (1 Kings 15:13); the meaning of the whole phrase is: The boasting of the Persians terrified me; it may also be rendered trembling; comp. יתפלצון they tremble (Job 9:6).11<i class="footnote">פלץ has, according to I. E., two meanings, (1) to boast, (2) to terrify. For the first, however, there is no authority; the instance of מפלצתה proves nothing; it means, as may be seen from the context, her idol, the object of her fear, so that all meanings of this root can be derived from the same origin, פלץ to terrify.</i> 
  <i>The night of my pleasure</i>. The night in which he drank out of the holy vessels. <i>Hath he turned, into fear unto me</i>. Belshazzar was frightened when Daniel read to him the miraculous writing (Dan. 5:3)
  
  Verse 5
  
  צפה הצפית I think that these words are hap. leg., and that the phrase means sing the song.12<i class="footnote">A. V., Watch the watchtower.—Since the word is declared to be hap. leg., we can only test by the context whether the given translation is right or not. The arrangements of the feast necessitate perhaps the introduction of song and music.</i> 
  <i>Arise ye princes, and anoint the shield</i>. For Belshazzar was killed that same night, and Darius, the old, was anointed king. The king is called shield, מָגֵז, because he protects the people; comp. Behold, O Lord, our shield13<i class="footnote">Our shield is not in apposition to O Lord; it is the objective case, governed by the imperative behold, and refers to the same person as the face of our anointed in the second half of the verse. The words Arise, etc., are according to this interpretation, no longer the words of Belshazzar, but the words of the prophet addressed to the princes of Babylon.</i> (Ps. 84:10)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>For thus hath the Lord said unto me</i>. These are the words of the prophet.14<i class="footnote">This remark should have been made before, on the preceding verse, but it is probably given here, in order to explain at the same time, that the first person in unto me, refers to the prophet.</i> 
  <i>Set the watchman</i>. This is not to be done really, but only to be seen in a vision.
  
  Verse 7
  
  וראה וגו׳ <i>When he sees</i>15<i class="footnote">A. V., And he saw, And he hearkened. According to I. E., these sentences are not co-ordinate, but the former is subordinate, and the latter is the principal sentence.</i>15<i class="footnote">A. V., And he saw, And he hearkened. According to I. E., these sentences are not co-16<i class="footnote">A. V., And.</i>ordinate, but the former is subordinate, and the latter is the principal sentence.</i> <i>a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses</i>, <i>or</i> <i>a chariot of camels</i>, <i>he will hearken</i> <i>diligently</i> to learn what news they have to tell.
  
  Verse 8
  
  אריה <i>A lion</i>. According to the Midrash, Habakkukis meant, because חבקוק ═ אריה taking the arithmetical value of the letters.17<i class="footnote">The arithmetical value of the letters of the word אריה, is 1 + 200 + 10 + 5 ═ 216, that of חבקוק, 8 + 2 + 100 + 6 + 100 ═ 216. Our attention is called to this arithmetical equation, as if Isaiah foreshadowed a prophecy of Habakkuk in similar terms. See Rashi ad locum.</i> I think ב must be supplied; comp. אש אוכלה as a consuming fire18<i class="footnote">A. V., A consuming fire.</i> (Deut. 4:24). The watchman called with a loud voice like a lion. 
  <i>I stand continually upon the watch-tower</i>, to seek prophecy.
  
  Verse 9
  
  צמד <i>With a couple</i>. Supply עם. with, before ויען .צמד 
  And every one of them answered,19<i class="footnote">The use of the singular in ויען, And he answered, after the plural chariots of men, etc., is explained by assuming the identity of the plural they, and the singular, every one of them. See, c. ii., Note 18.</i> 
  <i>Babylon is fallen</i>, <i>is fallen</i>. The repetition indicates that no remnant has been left to her. 
  <i>He hath broken</i>. There is no noun in the text to which the pronoun he could refer; comp. אשר ילדה אותה ללוי whom she had born unto Levi (Num. 26:59).20<i class="footnote">The use of the third person singular active for the passive, is explained by supplying the participle active contained in the verb of the phrase; <i>e.g.</i>, .יָלְדָה הַיוֹלֶדֶת ,שִׁבֵּר הַמְּשַׁבֵּ־</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>My threshing</i>. Babylon is the object of threshing; the pronoun my refers to God, to the prophet, or to the chariot of men. The meaning of the phrase is: I also threshed it, and it has become like ‘ the corn of my floor.’ It is also possible that בן גרן signifies the pure corn that is kept in the threshing-floor, and refers figuratively to Israel.21<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation, Babylon is to be understood by the expression My threshing and the com of my floor; according to the second, it signifies Babylon and Israel.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>Dumah</i>. Comp. Gen. 25:18.
  <i>He calleth to me</i>. The prophet here represents Dumah as speaking, and we have to imagine a spy coming from Seir to search Dumah; he asks the watchman, Watchman, tell me, what is the time of the night, what is the time of the night? just as one of the people of Dumah would ask who had to rise early for a journey, or for work in the field, as is usual in a great many places. The repetition indicates that he asks several men. I, however, think that this question is put to see whether the watchmen sleep.
  מליל <i>Of the night</i>. It should be followed by a genitive; it is without the genitive,22<i class="footnote">See c. xv., Note 1.—Of the two examples mentioned here, the first is wrong, since the constructive form יִיִן is properly followed by the genitive of the noun חלבון whiteness, or Helbon (name of a place), not by an adjective white, or good, as I. E. seems to suppose; in the other example, if יִיִן is necessarily to be taken as the construct state, הטוב the best (of the before- mentioned vine and apples) can serve as the required genitive of a noun (the wine of the best grapes and apples); but the supposition of a second form besides יַיִן in the absolute state, recommends itself as more natural, and at at once aside all the difficulties. I. E. himself, repeatedly recommends the rule, that the form of the noun is subject to variation, and the application of this rule in the case of מִלִּיִל is supported by the parallelism; מַה מִלַּיְלָה in the first part appears to have the same meaning as מַה מִלֵּיל in the second part.</i> like בייז חלבון in the good wine of23<i class="footnote">A. V., The wine of Helbon; like the best wine.</i>23<i class="footnote">A. V., The wine of Helbon; like the best wine.</i> (Ez. 27:18); מיין הטוב like the good wine of (Song 7:10), where the name of the place, whence the wine comes, is omitted. According to the Gaon (Saadiah), the meaning of the phrase is, O watchman, how much has passed of the night? O watchman, how much is left?24<i class="footnote">The words of the Gaon referred to, are the following: يا حافظ أجْمُرْنَا كم مضي من آللَّيْل وكم بقي منْهُ</i> I explain it thus, O watchman, what of such and such a night of the week; comp. 15:1
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Morning hath come</i>, <i>and also the night</i>.25<i class="footnote">A. V., The morning cometh, etc.</i> Many mornings and nights have passed, and you, O Seirites—for you25a<i class="footnote">The Seirite spy is addressed. See ver. 11.</i> are one of them—did not come against us to war.
  תבעיון <i>Ye wish</i>.26<i class="footnote">This root is very often met with in the Talmud in the phrases ,אבעיו להו ,ליה בעי They or he asked a question.—A. V., Ye will enquire. Enquire ye.</i>26<i class="footnote">This root is very often met with in the Talmud in the phrases ,אבעיו להו ,ליה בעי They or he asked a question.—A. V., Ye will enquire. Enquire ye.</i>26<i class="footnote">This root is very often met with in the Talmud in the phrases ,אבעיו להו ,ליה בעי They or he asked a question.—A. V., Ye will enquire. Enquire ye.</i> The root בעה to wish, to enquire, is of Chaldaic origin; the third letter of the root is here fully written, י being substituted for ה. The same is the case in בְּעָיוּ wish ye, which is like שְׁלָחוּ send (2 Kings 2:17). The meaning of the whole phrase is: If you wish to come, do so. 
  <i>Return</i> to those that sent you, and <i>come</i> all together.
  אתיו <i>Come</i>. The word is irregular, the regular form is אְַתוּ; the א has a Zere,27<i class="footnote">The text has נקמץ, the Zere being also called Kamez katan.—א being a guttural, it cannot have a simple Sheva, which the regular form requires; comp. שְׁלָחוּ send. Usually, the simple Sheva is then replaced by a compound one, by Chateph-Pathah, Chateph-Segol, or Chateph-Kamez exceptionally by a vowel, as, <i>e.g.</i>, here, in אֵתָיוּ by Zere.</i> probably because of its guttural character. 
  By the watchman, the chief of the country is perhaps meant; for there are many chiefs that cannot endure hardship, and prefer to surrender their country.
  
  Verse 13
  
  בערב <i>In Arabia</i>. Comp. Jer. 25:29. The Arabs belong to the family of Kedar; the second בערב has the same meaning.
  <i>Dodanim</i>. Comp. Gen. 10:6. The land of the Dodanim is hot and dry, wanting water.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Bring water</i>. The prophet tells them to be kind to the caravans, and to give them water, for Moab was rebuked for not having done so (Deut. 23:5).
  התיו <i>Bring</i>. ה is instead of 28<i class="footnote">This passage seems to be corrupt, for in הֵתָיוּ, the ה is not instead of אֵתָוּ ;א Come, being imperative Kal, הֵתָיוּ bring, imperative Hiphil. Very probably I. E. means to say that the ה is instead of ה and א, the full form being הַאְַתָיוּ or הֵאתָיוּ.</i>.א 
  <i>Tema</i>. Comp. Gen. 25:15.
  <i>With his bread</i>. With the bread of him that is now thirsty.—Be kind to him, for he used to feed every one that came wandering to him. 
  <i>They prevented</i>. They, that is, he and his men or friends.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>For they fled from the swords</i>. They, that are wandering about, are fleeing because of the king of Assyria. 
  נטושה. According to some, sharp, the נ being put instead of ל,  (לטושה ═ נטושה); this is wrong;29<i class="footnote">No reason is mentioned for the rejection of this opinion; but it is obviously bad to assume an interchange of letters when the word in question admits of a meaning which is sufficiently supported by examples, and is not contradicted by the context.</i> נטושה means spread; comp. 1 Sam. 30:16
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>For thus hath the Lord said unto me</i>, etc., because of this sin, that they did not show kindness; comp. because they did not prevent you, etc. (Deut. 23:5.) 
  <i>Within a year</i>, <i>according to the years of an hireling</i>. That is, within a year, that will seem to be as long as the year of an hireling.30<i class="footnote">The tertium comparationis is usually found in the circumstance that the hireling does not prolong his work beyond the time agreed upon, and the time granted to Moab will also not be protracted over three years. As to the opinion of I. E. comp. his remarks on 16:14.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>And the residue</i>, etc. This expression indicates that the greater part will perish.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>The valley of vision</i>. Jerusalem, the centre of all prophecies. 
  <i>Thou art wholly gone up to the house-tops</i>. Some think, they went up in order to offer incense to the host of heaven, but my opinion is, that they went up in order to see the force that besieged Jerusalem, as is generally done under such circumstances.
  
  Verse 2
  
  תשואות <i>Stirs</i>. Root שאה to stir; comp. שאון noise (13:4).
  עליזה <i>Joyous</i>.—Jerusalem had been full of men, but they were smitten with captivity and famine, and could not fight.
  
  Verse 3
  
  מקשת אסרו <i>Because of the bow they were bound</i>.1<i class="footnote">A. V., They are bound by the archers.</i> When they saw the bow of the enemy, they surrendered out of fear, and became prisoners. 
  מרחוק ברחו ׳ <i>Which have fled from far</i>. The relative אשר which is to be supplied; comp. עם אשר לבבם שלם ═ עם לבבם שלם in behalf of those whose heart is perfect (2 Chr. 16:9)
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Therefore said I</i>. The first person refers to the prophet.
  שעו ממני <i>Look away from me</i>. Root שעה to let loose, to turn away; comp. תשעה Thou wilt depart2<i class="footnote">See chap. xvii. Note 11.</i> (Job 7:19).
  אמרר בבכי <i>I will embitter by weeping</i>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., I will weep bitterly. According to I. E., the Piel of מרר is causative, and the object השמעים the bitterness, is to be supplied here.</i> I will embitter those that listen.
  
  Verse 5
  
  ומבוכה <i>And of perplexity</i>. Comp. נבוכים entangled (Ex. 14:3).
  מקרקר overthrowing, or pulling down, derived from קיר wall, with a negative sense; comp. ושרשך, and he will take away thy root (Ps. 52:7), derived from שרש root.
  ושוע אל ההר <i>And of crying to the mountains</i>. Some say that this phrase means the same as ישעו ואין מושיע they look, but there is none to save (2 Sam. 22:42); others, their cry will reach the mountains.4<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation, שוע is identified with שעה to turn,to look, or to trust; and the meaning of the phrase is, it will be as if they trusted to the mountains, that could not help (see c. 17:7). The second explanation takes שוע in its usual meaning to cry: Their cry will be so loud that it will reach the mountains, that are far away.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>And Elam</i>, etc. In the following the prophet predicts the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.5<i class="footnote">I. E. refers this prophecy to Nebuchadnezzar, and not to Sennacherib; because the siege described here, is to end in the fall of Jerusalem (ver. 14 ); this was in fact the result of the siege of Nebuchadnezzar, while Sennacherib was, by a miraculous destruction of his army, compelled to leave Palestine altogether.</i> <i>Elam</i>. Even Elam, that was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar,6<i class="footnote">This statement is perhaps based on Jer. 25:25, 49:34 ff., where the collapse of the power of Elam is predicted; and Ezek. 32:24-25, where the extinction of the power of Elam is mentioned as an accomplished fact. Elam, according to I. E., conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, might be expected to refuse to join him in an expedition against Palestine.7 The Hebrew text has the words אפילו שחם בעלי מדינות though they are in possession of provinces; they have no sense; for why should the inhabitants of Kir in that case not join Nebuchadnezzar? even if we join the following קיר with this phrase: though they are in possession of the provinces of Kir, it is impossible to find any sense in it. If, however, we add רחוקות distant, as is done in the translation, all difficulty is at once removed. קיר אפילו שהם בעלי מדינות רחוקות even Kir, that is a distant country, or, even the inhabitants of Kir, that live in distant countries, and must find an expedition against Jerusalem very hard and troublesome, etc.</i> was to take up arms against Jerusalem. 
  <i>And Kir</i>, though being far from Jerusalem;—comp. And Aram from Kir (Am. 9:7)8<i class="footnote">The quotation is probably to prove that Kir is the name of a country, which is situated beyond Syria, and therefore distant from Jerusalem.</i>—<i>will uncover the shield</i> round Jerusalem against Israel.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Thy valleys</i>. The second person refers to Jerusalem. שת שתו.
  <i>They prepare</i>,9<i class="footnote">A. V., They set themselves in array.</i> the forts, the trenches, and all the instruments of war.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>And he discovered</i>, etc. The veil was already taken away from the eyes of Judah, when the enemy was approaching; they saw immediately that they had no strength to resist. The third person ויגל, And he discovered might also be referred to God.10<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation, the enemy is the subject; the enemy, by his approach, opened the eyes of Judah, and made them discover their weakness.</i> 
  <i>And thou didst look</i>. Judah is addressed.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Ye have seen also</i>, etc. They looked to the fortifications, and found that the breaches of the town of David were many; they were therefore obliged to collect the waters of the pool, that they might serve as a fence round the town.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>And ye have numbered</i>, etc. They had to count the houses, in order to know the number of the soldiers.11<i class="footnote">It was desirable to know the number of the houses, in order to ascertain how many soldiers the town might be able to keep.</i> 
  <i>And the houses have ye broken down</i>. The houses that were near the wall from without.
  
  Verse 11
  
  ומקוה <i>And a ditch</i>. מקוה מים ═ מקוה A gathering of water (Lev. 2:36).
  <i>Unto the maker thereof</i>. Unto God, who has decreed to bring Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem. 
  <i>Unto him that fashioned it</i>. That fashioned the decree.
  מרחוק <i>Long ago</i>. Join מרחוק either with ויוצרה, he that fashioned it long ago, or with לא ראיתם, you have not seen for a long time.12<i class="footnote">The second explanation is not in accordance with the accents; וְיוֹצְרָ֥הּ has a conjunctive, מֵרָח֭וֹק a disjunctive accent.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>And in that day did the Lord</i>, <i>God of Hosts, call</i>, etc. That is, God decreed. More correctly, however, this phrase may be referred to the words of the prophet.13<i class="footnote">The meaning of the phrase is therefore, And the prophet, in the name of God, declared.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  הרג <i>Slaying</i>, causing the separation of the soul from the body; הרג is used with reference to cattle instead of שחט, and on the other side וישחטם, And he slaughtered them (Num. 14:16) is used with reference to men instead of 14<i class="footnote">הרג to slay, is used with reference to man, שחט to kill, with reference to beasts; this passage, and the one quoted from Num. 14:16, are of the exceptions, the entire number of which is very small.</i>.ויהרגם 
  <i>For to-morrow we shall die</i>. The prophet foretells what people will say in the days of the siege.
  
  Verse 14
  
  ונגלה <i>And it was revealed</i>. This thing15<i class="footnote">The determination of the people, mentioned in the preceding verse.</i> was revealed. באזני In mine ears.16<i class="footnote">A. V., In mine ears, by the Lord, etc.</i> Supply אָזְנֵי the ears of.17<i class="footnote">The complete sentence would be: In mine ears, the ears of the Lord, etc.</i> Comp. נביאכם יי Your prophet, the prophet of the Lord18<i class="footnote">A. V., A prophet among you, I, the Lord, etc.</i> (Num. 12:6). According to some the suffix in באזני refers to the prophet; but the first explanation is better.19<i class="footnote">See c. v., Note 16.</i> 
  <i>Till ye die</i> by the hand of the enemy who will besiege you.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>God of hosts</i>. This attribute is added, because the treasurer is mentioned, who was appointed over the royal house, and whom some believed to be the master of the money stored up there.20<i class="footnote">The hosts are, according to I. E., all creatures on heaven and earth (comp. Gen. 2:1). God of hosts is therefore the true master of the state treasures, not Shebna. Concerning the occasional use of the Tetragrammaton as an appellative governing the genitive צבאות of hosts, see i., Note 45, and I. E. On Exodus 3:15.</i>
  הסוכן <i>The treasurer</i>. Comp. מסכנות stores (Ex. 1:11).
  עַל <i>Concerning</i>. He shall prophesy concerning him, and say to him.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>What hast thou here?</i> Why didst thou stop here? <i>And whom hast thou here</i> of thy family that could assist thee?
  חצבת <i>Thou hast hewed</i>. Comp. חצובים hewed (Deut. 6:11). Thou thinkest that thou wilt always remain treasurer, and that thou wilt die in Jerusalem, and therefore thou hast already prepared a grave for thee.—Those commentators that take gravein the sense of palace are mistaken, as shown by the words there shalt thou die (ver. 18).21<i class="footnote">The Targum has אְַתַר place, and אַתְרֵיהּ his place for קבר and קברו and seems to take קבר figuratively for the palace or the place where Shebna hoped to remain till his death.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  מטלטלך <i>Will carry thee away</i>. Reduplication of טול to carry. Comp. ויטילו And they cast (Jon. 1:5).
  גבר <i>O man</i>.22<i class="footnote">A. V., A mighty captivity.</i> Thou, who thinkest that thou art mighty. Comp. והיית לאיש and show thyself a man (1 Kgs. 2:2). גבר is here the vocative case. It can also mean as the carrying away of a man.23<i class="footnote">Comp. טלטולא דגברא קשה טדאתתא A man, carried away in Captivity is treated more harshly and cruelly than a woman. See Rashi ad locum.</i> I prefer the first explanation.
  
  Verse 18
  
  צנוף יצנפך צנפה <i>He will surely bind thee together</i>.24<i class="footnote">A. V., He will surely violently turn and toss thee. According to I. E.: צנף to bind, מצנפת a mitre that is bound round the head.</i>24<i class="footnote">A. V., He will surely violently turn and toss thee. According to I. E.: צנף to bind, מצנפת a mitre that is bound round the head.</i> Comp. מצנפת mitre (Ex. 28:4). He will take him, together with all his money and wealth.25<i class="footnote">I. E. infers this probably from the root צנף being repeated thrice.</i>
  כדור <i>Like a ball</i>. The כ is the prefix of comparison; the word is familiar from its use in the Rabbinical literature; its meaning may also be gathered from the context.26<i class="footnote">I. E. overlooks that in Rabbinical literature the ball is called כדור not דור. (Comp. Mishna, Kelim 10:4, and I. E. on Job 15:24).</i> 
  <i>A large country</i>. Babylon.27<i class="footnote">According to I. E. this catastrophe of the house of Shebna took place in the days of the Babylonian invasion during the reign of king Jehoiakim or Zedekiah, when Shebna himself was probably no more alive; for Manasseh reigned 55, Amon 2, Josiah 31, Jehoahaz ¼, Jehoiakim 11 years; and to these a part of the reign of Hezekiah must be added. It can hardily be understood why I.E. transfers this catastrophe to a later period and takes Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, for the son of that Hilkiah, who officiated as high priest during the reign of king Josiah, while the text seems to point at the reign of Hezekiah (comp. 36:22), unless we assume that he is anxious to refer the second part of the chapter to the same period, to which, as he believed, the first part alluded. (Comp. ver. 6).</i>&lt;
  <i>There shalt thou die</i>, etc. There he shall die, with all his horsemen. <i>The shame of thy lord’s house</i>. For thou art a disgrace to the house of thy master; or thou wilt then be, etc. This prediction was probably verified in the exile of King Jehoiakim or Jehoiachim; comp. And I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah (ver. 20)
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>To my servant</i>. He was the servant of the Lord; not so Shebna.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>Thy robe and thy girdle</i>. Every officer has a certain robe and girdle, as <i>e.g.</i>, the wise men of Athens wore a certain distinctive girdle. 
  <i>A father</i>. A good teacher and a friend, like a father.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>And the king of the house of David</i>, etc. From this verse we learn that the house (ver. 15) means the royal palace.
  
  Verse 23
  
  יתד <i>As a nail</i>. כיתד ═ יתד. Comp. וכעיר ═ ועיר And like a wild ass (Job 11:12)
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>And they shall hang</i>, etc. Having compared Eliakim with a nail, the prophet continues, they shall hang upon it, etc.
  הצאצאים <i>The offspring</i>. The children that will come out of him.28<i class="footnote">The root of צאצאים is יצא to come out.</i>
  והצפיעות <i>And the issue</i>. The female children are perhaps meant; comp. יצא צפע shall come forth a cockatrice (14:29).29<i class="footnote">According to this remark צפע means offspring, but in commenting on 14:29 he says that צפעני ═ צפע means cockatrice, and is more dangerous than נחש serpent. A joke at the expense of women is perhaps intended by this remark. The real reason for this explanation is very likely to be found in the masculine and feminine terminations of the two words צאצאים and צפיעות.</i> Since he is said to be the father, the men of Judah are as it were his sons, and the women his daughters. <i>All vessels of small quantity</i>. The children are compared to small vessels.
  האגנות <i>The cups</i>. (Comp. 24:6). The gold was perhaps kept in those vessels.
  כלי הנבלים. <i>The vessels of psalteries</i>.30<i class="footnote">A. V., All the vessels of flagons.</i> Musical instruments. Nothing will remain in the royal palace, that should not be placed under his authority.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>The nail</i>, etc. Shebna, who thought himself a nail fixed in a strong place. 
  <i>The burden that is upon it</i>. The supporters of his government.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Tyre</i>. A town near the sea; it was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar.1<i class="footnote">Tyre was besieged five years by Shalmaneser, about 720 B.C. (Joseph. Antiq. 9:14), and thirteen years by Nebuchadnezzar, 583—570 <i>(ib</i>. 10:11). As to the first siege, it is distinctly stated by Josephus that it was not successful; the result of the second is not mentioned, and some infer from Ez. 29:18, that Nebuchadnezzar did not conquer Tyre. But whether conquered or not, the distress and misery which so long a siege must have entailed upon the inhabitants of Tyre, the loss they sustained in wealth and territories, fully corresponds with the humiliation predicted by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. I. E. refers this chapter to the second and not to the first siege, very likely because the Chaldæans are mentioned in it, according to his interpretation, as the conquerors of Assyria (ver. 13).</i>
  כי שרר מבית מבוא <i>For it is laid waste</i>, <i>that there is no house</i>, <i>no entering in</i>. For every house in Tyre is destroyed, that no merchants come there any more. 
  <i>From the land of Chittim</i>. Even from the land of Chittim, which is very far,2<i class="footnote">Chittim is probably Cittium in the isle of Cyprus, which belonged to Phoenicia.</i> this destruction was announced to the ships of Tarshish. Chittim is mentioned, because of the ships which passed the coast thereof.3<i class="footnote">Ships of Tarshish are ships coming from Tarshish; they passed the coast of Chittim (Cyprus), and heard there the news of the calamities of Tyre; because the enemy that besieged Tyre tried at the same time to get Cyprus into his possession, either by hostile attack or by a support given to her revolt against Tyre. The quotation from Num. 24:25, And ships from the coast of Chittim, is only to prove that Chittim was a naval power.</i> Comp. (Num. 24:25)
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>Inhabitants of the isle</i>. Inhabitants of Tyre.4<i class="footnote">There were two towns of this name, one on the continent, Old Tyre, the other on an island at a short distance from the former.</i> <i>Whom the merchants of Zidon</i>, etc. Although Tyre was full of merchants from Zidon, etc. <i>Zidon</i>. A town likewise on the sea; comp. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea, etc., and his border shall be unto Zidon (Gen. 49:13)
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And by great waters</i>, etc. The merchants brought to Tyre the seed of the Sihor,5<i class="footnote">Sihor (שיחור) is another name for the Nile (יאֹר); lit., the black river. The Nile is used here by metonymy for Egypt.</i>5<i class="footnote">Sihor (שיחור) is another name for the Nile (יאֹר); lit., the black river. The Nile is used here by metonymy for Egypt.</i> and her increase was the harvest of the Nile.
  סחר <i>A mart</i>. סחר is a noun and means merchandise; but we have here to supply בעלת; And she was the mistress of the merchandise (that is, the mart) of the nations. Comp. ובעל חסרון ═ וחסרון That which is wanting (Eccl. 1:15)
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>The sea</i>. She that had the greatest power on the sea, that is Tyre. <i>I travailed not</i>, etc. It is as if there were no people in the isle of Tyre.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And at the report</i>, etc. As at the report of the defeat of Egypt every one was startled, so they will be startled at the report of the fall of Tyre.
  
  Verse 6
  
  אל תרשיש ═ תרשישה To Tarshish.
  כל אי ═ אי Every island.6<i class="footnote">I. E. mentions no reason why אי in ver. 4 alludes to Tyre, and here to the islands generally; perhaps because the next verse addressing the inhabitants of the island in the second person, alludes to Tyre in the third.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Is this your joyous city</i>, etc. Is this Tyre, that was a rejoicing to you—Comp. a rejoicing to the whole land (Ps. 48:3)—that old Tyre, that must now see her people go far away into captivity.
  
  Verse 8
  
  המעטירה <i>The crowning city</i>. That was a glory to the islands.7<i class="footnote">מעטירה is part. Hiphil, and means lit;: giving a crown, or giving glory.</i>
  כנעניה <i>Her merchants</i>. Comp. כנען a merchant (Hos. 12:8)
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>The Lord of hosts</i>, etc. The Lord, who is the King of hosts8<i class="footnote">See chap. i. Note 45.</i> has decided this.
  
  Verse 10
  
  עברי ארצך כיאור Pass over to thy land9<i class="footnote">A. V., Pass through thy land.</i> as a river (עברי אל ארצך═עברי ארצך); that is, hasten to thy country, as quickly as the river flows, or, pass through thy land as the river which overflows the country.10<i class="footnote">יאור is, according to this explanation, the Nile, which overflows and covers the whole country. The people of Tarshish are told to go home, each one to his place in the country; they have no strength to keep themselves any longer in Tyre.</i>
  מזח <i>Strength</i>. Literally, girdle. (Comp. Ps. 109:19). It is used as a figure for strength, because a girdle supports the loins.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>He stretched out His hand</i>. God stretched out His hand, that is, He brought the punishment.
  מעזניה <i>The strongholds thereof</i>. The fortresses of Tyre.—The נ in מעזניה is instead of the Dagesh in the 11<i class="footnote">This explanation is opposed to I.E.’s own rule, that only the letters אֹהֹוֹיֹ are capable of interchange.</i>.ז כנען <i>Merchant city</i>.12<i class="footnote">Lit., also כנען means ‘merchant.’ I. E. on ver. 8 remarked, that בנעניה meant her merchants; referring to that remark, he says here: also in this verse, where כנען is used as a feminine, it has the same meaning, ‘ merchant,’ or, since the city is meant, ‘merchant-city.’ Comp. I. E. on 17:1, and xv Note 12.</i> According to some, ארחת כנען ═ כנען, the caravan of Canaan, because of the feminine pronoun in מעזניהֹ her strongholds.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>And He said</i>. And God said.
  המעשקה <i>O robbed city</i>.13<i class="footnote">A. V., Oppressed.</i> The wealth of her merchants in Tyre14<i class="footnote">When Tyre was taken, the merchants of Zidon lost their property which they had in Tyre.</i> will be taken away. 
  <i>Pass over to Chittim</i>. To trade there.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The land</i>. The inhabitants of the land.
  <i>This people</i>. The people of the Chaldæans.
  לא היה <i>There was none like them</i>.15<i class="footnote">A. V., Was not. Where no fear was.</i>15<i class="footnote">A. V., Was not. Where no fear was.</i> Comp. לא היה פחד There was no fear like it (Ps. 53:6). According to others: Would that it were not; for <i>it founded the kingdom of Assyria for wild beasts</i>,16<i class="footnote">A.V., Till the Assyrians founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness.</i> that is, the Chaldsæans laid Assyria waste, and it became the habitation of wild beasts.17<i class="footnote">About 606 B.C. Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was taken by the Babylonians in conjunction with the Medians. Comp. Nah. 1:3; Zeph. iii.</i> לציים For the little wild beasts that live in the land.18<i class="footnote">The passage in the Hebrew text seems to be corrupt; the word ציים is explained by I. E. on 13:21, 34:14, to mean beasts that live in the wilderness. קטנות שהם is very likely a corruption for השוכנות, that dwell, and ציה desert is left out after בארץ.</i> <i>They set up the towers thereof</i> etc. Although they, viz., the Assyrians, have set up the towers for defence, etc.
  בחוניו <i>The towers thereof</i>. Comp. בוחן tower (32:14). More correctly, the suffix in בחוניו refers to the people of the Chaldæans: when they, viz., the Chaldæans, set up their towers of siege. עוררו <i>They raised up</i>. It is a transitive verb. <i>The palaces thereof</i>. It was as if the towers stirred up the palaces, but before they awoke, <i>he brought her to ruin</i>, that is, the Chaldæan brought Assyria to ruin.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Ships of Tarshish</i>. Ships that go from Tarshish to Tyre with goods.
  
  Verse 15
  
  ונשכחת <i>And shall be forgotten</i>. ונשכחה ═ ונשכחת; comp. ושבה ═ ושבת And it will return (Ez. 46:17).
  <i>The days of one king</i>. The reign of Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and grandson are considered as one.19<i class="footnote">According to I. E. Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach, who was in turn succeeded by his son Belshazzar; the Babylonian kingdom was then overthrown by Cyrus, king of Persia, when Tyre, no longer troubled by the Chaldæans, commenced to prosper and to flourish again.</i> 
  <i>Shall Tyre sing as an harlot</i>. Tyre will again be active in words and deeds.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Take up an harp</i>, <i>etc</i>. The forgotten harlot walks about the city playing, that she may be remembered again; thus Tyre will send letters to all her neighbours, that the merchants may again come to her as before.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years</i>, when that aforementioned time will come.20<i class="footnote">I. E. means to say that the seventy years mentioned in this verse are no addition to those given in ver. 15, but are the same.</i>
  לאתננה <i>To her hire</i>. Comp. אתנן זונה, hire of an harlot (Deut. 23:19), the money for her whoredom. 
  <i>And shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms</i>. They will come to her for merchandise.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>And her merchandise</i>, <i>etc</i>. Of her profits she will sanctify a part to the Lord.
  לא יאצר <i>It shall not be treasured up</i>. It shall not be put in the storehouse ולא יחסן .(אוצר) <i>Nor laid up</i>. It will not be put away in a strong place (חוסן).
  <i>To them that dwell before the Lord</i>. To the exiles of Jerusalem, when they will return in the days of Cyrus.21<i class="footnote">This refers either to some material assistance given to the Jews by the Phoenicians, such as is reported of other nations (Ezr. 6:8, 9), or to the general advantage which the Jews derived from the prosperity of their Tyrian neighbours.</i> 
  <i>To eat sufficiently</i>. The exiles will be satisfied.
  וּלְמִבְסֶה ═ וְלִמְבַסֶּה And for a clothing.
  עתיק <i>Durable</i>. Strong; comp. עתק strength (1 Sam. 2:3).
  Some ask, How can the prophet promise that the hire of the harlot Tyre will be sanctified to the Lord, since the Law prohibits the hire of an harlot to be brought to the house of the Lord? (Deut. 23:19). The reply to this question is, that the Law prohibits the real hire of an harlot, but the prophet uses the words, her hire, in a figurative sense; in reality, he does not speak of an harlot at all.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  בוקק. <i>He maketh empty</i>. Comp. Hos. x. i.
  ובולקה <i>And maketh it waste</i>. This word is met with a second time in the book of the vision of Nahum (Nah. 3:10).1<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has בספר הזה; but in Nahum, not in Isaiah, another instance of this root is found. בספר הזה is therefore a mistake; the text had originally בספר חזון (Nah. 1:1). The translation is based on this correction.</i> 
  ועוה And turneth it upside down.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>And it shall be</i>, etc. All men shall be alike in this catastrophe. כעם ככהן וגו׳. <i>As with the people, so with the priest</i>. etc. When two nouns with the prefix כ follow each other, the phrase is elliptical; the complete sentence would be: as with the people so with the priest, and as with the priest so with the people, as with the servant so with the master, and as with the master so with the servant, etc.
  כמלוה <i>As with the lender</i>, as with him who gives away money without security.2<i class="footnote">A. V., As with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. According to I. E. לוה to borrow money without security נשה (חנם) to lend on security. Comp. לא תהיה לו כנשה Thou shalt not be to him as one that lends money on security (A. V., As an usurer). Ex. 22:25, the נשה, according to I. E., has not that kind and charitable feeling, which he has who lends without security (מלוה); the former is more liable to hurt the feelings of the poor in taking and giving back the pledge (comp. Dent. xiiv. 10, ff.). The word חנם used by I. E. is translated without security, because it is here the opposite of על משכונו on his security.</i>
  נושה The capitalist.
  אשר נושה בו He who borrows money on security.
  
  Verse 3
  
  הבוק תבוק. <i>Shall be utterly emptied</i>. Comp. בוקק (ver. 1); הבוק is infinitive Niphal of a verb בקק) ע״ע to empty). חבוק is formed like יסוב is driven back3<i class="footnote">According to I. E. יִסּוֹב ,תִּבּוֹז ,תִּבּוֹק, are forms of the future Niphal for יִסַּב ,תּבַּזּ ,תִּבַּק.</i> (Ps. 114:3.) הבוז תבוז <i>Shall be utterly spoiled</i>. The same.4<i class="footnote">Infinitive and future Niphal.</i>—Since God decreed this, there will not remain to man any cause to exalt himself above his fellow.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>The earth mourneth</i>, because the King of Assyria has destroyed many countries.
  נבלה <i>Fadeth away</i>.5<i class="footnote">Literally, according to I. E., is confounded.</i> Niphal of בלל, to confound; comp. ונבקה, and it will be emptied6<i class="footnote">A V., Shall fall.</i> (19:3); ונסבה and it will be surrounded7<i class="footnote">A. V., There was a winding about.</i> (Ez. 41:7); the second נבלה might, however, be the Kal of נבל, to fade; comp. נבול תבול, thou wilt surely wear away8<i class="footnote">The two roots נבל and בלל are similar in form and meaning; the former to fade away, the latter to confound, Niphal to be confounded or to be destroyed. נָבְלָה is therefore either the third person feminine Kal of נבל or the same person Niphal of בלל; the regular form would be נָבַלָּה, but the Dagesh is sometimes omitted, as in the instances quoted by the author. נָבַקָּה═נָבְקָה נָםַבָּה═נָםְבָה.</i> (Ex. 18:18). 
  יושבי מרום═מרום they that sit on high, the chiefs of the land.9<i class="footnote">A. V., The haughty people.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  תורות <i>The laws</i>. The laws which are dictated by common sense, in which all agree.10<i class="footnote">חּוֹרה and חֹק are generally distinguished by saying that the former refers to those laws which society would make even without revelation; the latter, to such laws as would not be made without direct command in Scripture. This distinction is not applicable here, because the prophet speaks in this passage of laws that concern all nations. The explanation, however, given here by I. E., does not agree with his remark on Gen. 26:5, where תורה is explained to refer to the law of circumcision. What I. E. means by the laws contained in the natural order of things or by the covenant of the universe is more clearly stated in his commentary on Gen. 26:5, namely, שילך אדם אחרי מעשיו Man shall follow the ways of God displayed in his works. Comp. I. E. on Lev. 19:19.</i>10<i class="footnote">חּוֹרה and חֹק11<i class="footnote">A. V., Changed.</i> are generally distinguished by saying that the former refers to those laws which society would make even without revelation; the latter, to such laws as would not be made without direct command in Scripture. This distinction is not applicable here, because the prophet speaks in this passage of laws that concern all nations. The explanation, however, given here by I. E., does not agree with his remark on Gen. 26:5, where תורה is explained to refer to the law of circumcision. What I. E. means by the laws contained in the natural order of things or by the covenant of the universe is more clearly stated in his commentary on Gen. 26:5, namely, שילך אדם אחרי מעשיו Man shall follow the ways of God displayed in his works. Comp. I. E. on Lev. 19:19.</i>
  חלפו <i>They have abolished</i>. Comp. יחלוף, he shall abolish (2:18).
  חק <i>Ordinance</i>. The laws of God, contained in the natural order of things; and this is likewise the meaning of ברית עולם, the covenant of the universe.
  
  Verse 6
  
  באלה ═ אלה By a curse;12<i class="footnote">From this remark it may be concluded that I. E. read אבלה mourneth instead of אכלה.</i> comp. בששת ═ ששת, in sin (Ex. 20:11); according to others, the preposition תחת, for, is to be supplied; comp. פ׳ שפ׳ ונ׳ תחת ═ ונשלמה פרים שפתינו. And let us bring our lips (that is, the words of our lips, our prayer) instead of bulls (Hos. 14:2).13<i class="footnote">A. V., So will we render the calves of our lips.</i>
  חרו <i>They are burned</i>. Comp. וחרה, and may be burnt (Ez. xxiv. II).14<i class="footnote">A. V., And may burn.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>The new wine mourneth</i>, etc. Because there is none to dress the vine and to dig the ground. 
  <i>The merry-hearted</i>. For wine maketh glad the heart (Ps. 104:15)
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>The mirth of tabrets ceaseth</i>, from the feasts. 
  <i>The noise of them that rejoice</i>, when they are drunk.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>They shall not drink wine with a song</i>, for <i>the strong drink shall be bitter</i>. יֵמַר is according to my opinion15<i class="footnote">The grammarian, R. Jonah, is of opinion that יֵמַר is Kal; therefore I. E. adds, according to my opinion.</i> a verb ע״ע—comp. וָאֵקַל And I was despised (Gen. 16:5)—Niphal of מרר
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>The city of vanity</i>. The city whose inhabitants go after vain things.
  <i>Every house is shut up, that no man can come in</i>. For every one will go out into the streets because of the great trouble.
  
  Verse 11
  
  צוחה A crying.
  על מקום היין ═ על היין In the place of wine.16<i class="footnote">A. V., For wine.</i> 
  <i>In the streets</i>. Publicly.
  ערבה <i>Is darkened</i>. Comp. עֶרֶב evening.
  
  Verse 12
  
  ושאיה <i>And with destruction</i>. שאיה is a noun derived from שאה to be waste;comp. שואה desolation (10:3).
  <i>In the city is left desolation</i>. This phrase is used by the prophet improperly; comp. Better is he than both they, who hath not yet been (Eccles. 4:3).17<i class="footnote">Strictly speaking, he who has not yet been born cannot be better; in the same way שַׁמָּה desolation cannot be said to be left; because desolation is the negation of existence. Comp. I. E. on 2:11.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  בנקף <i>As the shaking</i>. נקף is similar in meaning to ונקף and he shall cut down (10:34).
  <i>As the gleaning grapes</i>, that is, only a few; for when the vintage is over, the gleaning grapes are left.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>They shall lift up</i>, etc. All commentators agree that from the words, Behold, the Lord maketh, etc. (ver. 1), the prophet refers to the remote future, to the war of Gog and Magog;18<i class="footnote">Comp. Ez. xxxyiii. and xxxix. Gog is the name of the king of Magog, a country or nation in the north of Palestine (xxxyiii. 15), deriving their origin from Magog, the son of Japheth (Gen. 10:2).</i> only R. Moses Hakkohen refers this prophecy to the king of Assyria, and finds in a feast of fat things (25:6) the indication of the destruction of the hosts of Sennacherib, which remains the subject of the prophecy until the words, Woe to the crown of pride, etc. (28:1).19<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text are—ועדו הוי עטרת גאות And his proof is taken from the words, ‘Woe to the crown of pride,’ but the proof is not at all clear; for granted even that xxviii. refers to the period of the Assyrian invasion, it cannot be concluded that xxiv.—xxvii. refer to the same period, especially since the last verse of xxvii. seems to be the conclusion of a prophecy (comp. 11:15, 16; 19:23—25). The translation is based on the suggestion, that ועדו is a corruption of the original וְעַד or עַד unto.</i>—
  <i>They shall lift up</i>, etc., they that escaped, etc.20<i class="footnote">The remnant of the army of Sennacherib, after the loss it sustained before Jerusalem. The opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen is continued in this remark.</i>
  ירנו <i>They shall shout</i>.21<i class="footnote">A. V., They shall sing. According to I. E., or rather to R. Moses Hakkohen, ידנו and צהלו refer to the cries of anxiety and distress which the remnant of the Assyrian army lifted up. רנן and צהל do not always signify, to sing, as proved by the quoted הָרִנָּה the proclamation after a defeat, and צהלת the neighing of horses.</i> Comp. הרנה the proclamation (1 Kgs. 22:36). <i>They shall cry aloud from the sea</i>. They that go on the sea, shall cry, etc. צהלו <i>They shall cry aloud</i>. Comp. צהלת הסום the neighing of the horse.22<i class="footnote">Instead of צהלת הסוס, which is not a biblical phrase, we have perhaps to read מצהלות אביריו the neighing of his strong ones (Jer. 8:16).</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  באורים Some explain it, In the countries; comp. כשרים אור the land of the Chaldæans23<i class="footnote">The same phrase is also quoted in favour of the second explanation. See Rashi.</i> (Gen. 11:31); others: In valleys. The former explanation is the right one.
  שם <i>The name</i>. Supply כבדו glorify; for the verb כבדו in the first half of the sentence refers also to the second. They (ver. 14) can also be explained to refer to the righteous.24<i class="footnote">With this remark I. E. reverts to the first mentioned opinion, that these chapters (xxiv.—xxvii.) refer to the period of Gog and Magog. According to this opinion the prophet speaks in ver. 14, of the righteous people, that will then receive the reward for their faith in God; ידנו and צהלו retain according to this explanation their usual meaning, they sing. In the following part the commentary is based on this same supposition, while that of R. Moses Hakkohen is only incidentally mentioned, as if to show that it can really be maintained throughout the whole portion from xxiv. unto xxvii.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  מכנף <i>From the uttermost part</i>. The word כנף corner, is used here to signify a great distance, because the earth is round.25<i class="footnote">One is rather inclined to think that, because the earth is round, the expression כנף הארץ the comer of the earth should not be used. Perhaps he means to say, that the corner of the earth is used instead of far off, because we can never reach it.</i>
  צבי <i>Glory</i>. The word is derived from a Chaldaic root.26<i class="footnote">צבה to desire; from this I. E. derives צבי desirable, beauty, glory.</i> <i>And I said</i>. Each nation will say so. <i>Have we heard</i>, etc. The same. 
  רז׳ <i>Leanness</i>. Comp. רזון leanness (Ps. 106:15). The repetition indicates that these words are said every moment.
  בגדים בגדו וגו׳ <i>Treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously</i>, etc. For all people deal treacherously again and again.27<i class="footnote">The root בגד is here repeated five times; this, according to I. E., indicates the repetition of the same action by the same person, as well as its contagious spreading amongst all classes of people.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Fear and the pit</i>, etc. And therefore the evil is come to all people; for when any person is in fear, and a kind of pit is near him, and his foot is besides caught in a snare, he must instantly fall.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>Windows from on high</i>, etc. A figure for decrees of the Lord.
  
  Verse 19
  
  רעה <i>Is broken</i>. Comp. תרועם thou wilt break them (Ps. 2:9); a word found frequently in the Targum.28<i class="footnote">רעע in Chaldee is the same as רצץ in Hebrew.</i>
  פור התפוררה <i>Is broken asunder</i>. Comp. ויפרפרני and he hath broken me asunder (Job 16:12); פוררת thou hast divided (Ps. 74:13)
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>The earth shall reel</i>, etc. The inhabitants of the land will flee from one place to the other, and be moved like the cottage of the watchman; for the watchman changes the place of his abode. 
  <i>And shall be heavy</i>, etc. When they will be about to move and to flee, their transgression will be too heavy for them, and they will fall.
  קום <i>To rise</i>. It is infinitive; comp. אלקום no rising up (Prov. 30:31 ).29<i class="footnote">It is rather curious to find I. E. referring to אלקום as another instance of the infinitive קום, and not to Ps. 18:39, 36:13, 127:2; Lam. 1:14; Am. 5:2.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  Many refer this prediction to an eclipse of the sun and moon; but more correctly it is referred to the angels, that are ready to assist or to attack a nation. Comp. Dan. 10:13, 20. These words are therefore followed by: the kings of the earth on the earth; for the reign of the kings is in connexion with the reign of the angels.30<i class="footnote">Those unknown causes that govern the destinies of men and nations are sometimes personified, and represented as the messengers or angels of the Lord. Each nation is therefore said to have its angel above, in whose hand its destiny is placed, and the prosperity or the misfortune of a nation is made dependent on the success or failure of its representative angel above.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  באסיר ═ אסיר As a prisoner. <i>As prisoners are gathered, etc</i>. As people who are brought to the prison to be shut in are often left there for a long time before they are visited to be supplied with their food. The idea contained in this simile is, that this evil will last a long time. יפקדו they shall be visited, may also be compared with ומימים רבים תפקד and after many years thou wilt be visited (Ez. 38:8), and explained in an evil sense.31<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation, יפקדו means they will be visited to receive their food; according to the second, they will be visited to receive their final punishment.</i>
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Then the moon</i>, etc. Sun and moon, the rulers of heaven, are used here in a figurative sense for the kings of the earth, who will be ashamed; but it is also possible that an eclipse of sun and moon is meant by the prophet. The kingdom of God will then appear on the mount of Zion, and honour will be given to those that remain faithful to God. According to others this passage refers to the worshippers of the heavenly bodies; but this explanation is at variance with the context.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>My God</i>. The first person singular refers to the prophet, or these are the words which every one of the ancients is represented speaking (24:23).
  עצות מרחוק <i>Counsels of old</i>. Objective case governed by עשית thou hast done.—The counsels of oldare the plans of God predicted by the prophets.
  אמונה אמן <i>With faithfulness and truth</i>.1<i class="footnote">A. V., Are faithfulness and truth. According to I. E. the meaning of the phrase is: God has fulfilled His prophecies with faithfulness and truth.</i> As to the repetition אמונה אמן comp. עזי ומעזי my strength and my fortress (Jer. 16:19).2<i class="footnote">A word is sometimes repeated either in the same or in a different form for the sake of emphasis. Comp. iii., Note 1, and xxiv., Note 27.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>For thou hast made a city an heap</i>, etc. Many cities will be destroyed, when Gog and Magog3<i class="footnote">See xxiv., Notes 18 and 24.</i>3<i class="footnote">See xxiv., Notes 18 and 24.</i> will come. According to R. Moses Hakkohen it refers to the period of Sennacherib.
  לגל <i>An heap</i>. Comp. Gen. 31:51.
  זרים <i>Strangers</i>. Non-Israelites.
  מעיר Of every city.4<i class="footnote">A. V., To be no city. The translation of the whole phrase according to I. E., who very strangely explains the preposition מֵ (lit. from) to be the sign of the possessive genitive, is, The palaces of the heathen people shall never be built again in any city.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  יכבדוך עם עז <i>Shall a strong people glorify thee</i>. Those who have escaped or are far off shall glorify thee, when they will hear the report.4a<i class="footnote">Of the defeat of Gog and Magog or of Sennacherib.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>For thou hast been</i>, etc. It is wonderful how all well fortified towns were taken, and the city of the poor, that is, Jerusalem, escaped. <i>A refuge from the showers</i>,5<i class="footnote">A. V., A refuge from the storm.</i> from the enemy who is compared to showers of water. 
  <i>For the blast of the terrible ones is as showers against the wall</i>. This phrase is to explain the expression from the showers.
  
  Verse 5
  
  בציון <i>In a dry place</i>. Comp. בארץ ציה in a dry land (Jer. 2:6).
  חורב בצל עב ונו׳ <i>The heat in</i>5a<i class="footnote">A. V., With.</i> <i>the shadow of a cloud</i>, etc. Repetition of the same idea.
  בצל עב <i>In the shadow of a cloud</i>, that is, in the shadow which hides the clouds and makes them invisible.6<i class="footnote">I. E. means to say that in the shadow of a cloud is the same as in the absence of all clouds, or in sunshine; but it can hardly be seen what compelled I. E. to assume here such a metaphor, unless it be the parallelism, which seems to demand a greater similarity between בציון and בצל עב than that existing between in a dry land and in the shadow of a cloud; the land is supposed to be dry when sunshine continues for some time, but not when the heaven is covered with clouds.</i>
  זמיר עריצים <i>The song of the terrible ones</i>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., The branch of the terrible ones.</i> It is the same as שאון זרים; comp. זמירות songs (24:16).
  יענה <i>Shall be low</i>. It is an intransitive verb of the same root as עני poor (Deut. 24:12); לענות to be humbled (Ex. 10:3)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>In this mountain</i>. In Zion.
  <i>A feast of fat things</i>, etc. God will feed them with fat things,
  ממחים <i>with things full of marrow</i>—comp. ומוח and the marrow (Job. 21:24); ממחים is participle Pual—
  and then he will give them to drink <i>lees well refined</i>, so that they will become drunk; 8<i class="footnote">A figure often used by the prophets to indicate the approaching catastrophe decreed by the Lord.</i> comp. As you have drunk on my holy mountain, etc. (Obad. 16)
  
  Verse 7
  
  ובלע <i>And he shall discover</i>.9<i class="footnote">A. V., And he will destroy.</i> Comp. כבלע when are discovered10<i class="footnote">A. V., When are covered. I. E., in his commentary ad locum mentions both explanations, when are covered and when are discovered, and gives the preference to the former.</i> (Num. 4:20).
  הלוט <i>The covering</i>. Comp. וילט and he wrapped (1 Kgs. 19:13); it is the same as the corresponding מכסה ═ מסכה covering; comp. והמסכה and the covering (28:20)
  
  Verse 8
  
  בלע המות <i>Death will destroy</i>11<i class="footnote">A. V., He will swallow up death.</i> them.12<i class="footnote">The nations mentioned in the preceding verse.</i>12<i class="footnote">The nations mentioned in the preceding verse.</i> 
  <i>And the Lord will wipe away tears from off all faces</i>. For they have caused great evils to all.13<i class="footnote">They have caused by their wicked actions, tears and sorrow to everybody; those tears will be shed no longer, when death has swallowed up the evil-doers.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  ואמר <i>And they will say</i>.14<i class="footnote">A. V., And it shall be said.</i> The people mentioned before, will say.
  ויושענו <i>And he saved us</i>.15<i class="footnote">A. V., And he will save us.</i> And he saved us continually. It is the imperfect tense.16<i class="footnote">See i., Note 43.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>The hand of the Lord</i>. His punishment.
  <i>Moab</i>, that will come to help the besiegers of Zion.
  ונדוש <i>And shall be trodden down</i>. Niphal of a verb (דוש) ע״ו or בְּהִדּוּשׁ .(דשש) ע״ע <i>As is trodden down</i>. Infinitive Niphal; וּ is here instead of וֹ; these two vowels are capable of interchange.
  מדמנה Dunghill.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>And he shall spread forth</i>. The Lord shall spread forth. <i>In the midst of them</i>. In the midst of Moab.
  השוחה <i>He that swimmeth</i>. Comp. שחו to swim (Ez. 47:5).
  <i>His pride</i>. The pride of Moab.
  ארבות Hap. leg.; the meaning must be found from the context.16a Some compare it with ארבות windows (Gen. 7:11), but their explanation is far-fetched.
  
  Verse 12
  
  Thy <i>walls</i>. The pronoun refers to Moab.
  השח השפיל <i>He brought down</i>, <i>he laid low</i>.17<i class="footnote">It is strange that I. E. does not state what the meaning of the word is; the context admits of many meanings, as may be seen from a comparison of the various renderings of the word, <i>e.g.</i>, Rashi: towers, Kimchi: the wrists, R. Jonah: the multitude, A. V., the spoils.</i> Asyndeton; comp. כרע שכב נפל He bowed, he fell, he lay down (Judg. 5:27). The past is used here because the action was already completed in the time of Sennacherib.17<i class="footnote">A. V., He shall bring low, lay low. I. E. refers this prophecy to the period of the war of Gog and Magog, while Moab was to receive her punishment long before that period, in the days of Sennacherib.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  עיר עז לנו ישועה ישית <i>To a city which is strength to us</i>,1<i class="footnote">A. V., We have a strong city.</i> <i>he will appoint salvation</i>. To Jerusalem, which is strength unto us, God will appoint salvation.2<i class="footnote">After ישית the word ישועה salvation seems to have been omitted in the Hebrew text.</i>
  חומות וחל <i>For walls and bulwarks</i>. חֵל הַחוֹמוֹת ═ חֵל the fence of the walls.3<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 15:1 and <i>ibid</i>. Note 2; on 21:11, Note 22.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>Open ye gates</i>, etc. The gates of that city should only be opened for righteous people like the Israelites, to enter and to dwell in it.
  
  Verse 3
  
  יצר סמוך תצר שלום Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. Others are of opinion that שלום may be used as masculine and feminine.4<i class="footnote">According to this opinion the translation of the passage is as follows: Peace will guard him whose mind is stayed on thee. There is, however, no other instance in the Bible of שלום being used as a feminine noun.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Trust ye</i>, etc. Therefore fathers will say to their children, Trust in the Lord, etc.
  ביה <i>In the Lord</i>. ב is a preposition, and has its usual meaning.5<i class="footnote">The name of God consists of the four letters ו ,ה ,י, and ה; the name יה of half that number; in ביה the ב is prepositive; but some take it as part of the name, believing that new names of God are formed by combining the word יה with any letters of the alphabet; <i>e.g.</i>, גיה ,ביה ,איה, and so on. In his commentary on the book of Psalms (68:5), I. E. rejects this opinion, but without giving the explanation which is promised here.</i>5<i class="footnote">The name of God consists of the four letters ו ,ה ,י, and ה; the name יה of half that number; in ביה the ב is prepositive; but some take it as part of the name, believing that new names of God are formed by combining the word יה with any letters of the alphabet; <i>e.g.</i>, גיה ,ביה ,איה, and so on. In his commentary on the book of Psalms (68:5), I. E. rejects this opinion, but without giving the explanation which is promised here.</i>5<i class="footnote">The name of God consists of the four letters ו ,ה ,י, and ה; the name יה of half that number; in ביה the ב is prepositive; but some take it as part of the name, believing that new names of God are formed by combining the word יה with any letters of the alphabet; <i>e.g.</i>, גיה ,ביה ,איה, and so on. In his commentary on the book of Psalms (68:5), I. E. rejects this opinion, but without giving the explanation which is promised here.</i>
  צור עולמים <i>Everlasting strength</i>. ביה In some books all the letters of the Alphabet are combined with this word (יה), which consists of one-half the number of letters composing the full name of God, in order to form new names for the Divine Being. In the book of Psalms (68:5) I shall explain this.
  
  Verse 5
  
  השח <i>He bringeth down</i>. A verb ע״ע like הֵקַל he afflicted slightly (8:23). <i>Them that dwell on high</i>, etc. This refers to the heathens.
  ישפילנה ישפילה <i>He layeth it low</i>, <i>he layeth it low</i>. He will continually lay it low; comp. עזי ומעזי My strength and my fortress (Jer. 16:19).6<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 3:1, Note 1; xxiv. Note 27; xxv. Note 2.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The foot shall tread it down</i>, etc. He will bring it so low, that it will be trodden not by the foot of the noble but by that of the poor. 
  רגלי ═ פעמי feet. Comp. פעמים (Ex. 23:14) ═ רגלים (ibid. 17) times.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>The way of the just</i>, etc. And why is all this? because there is no path for the righteous but that of rectitude, 
  and Thou, O Lord, art most upright and dost weigh the path of the just. 
  תפלס Thou weighest.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>We waited for thee, O Lord, even for the way of Thy judgment</i>,7<i class="footnote">A. V., In the way of thy judgment.</i> etc. These are the words of the righteous that hope in the Lord, that He will show His judgment in the universe; for the soul is longing for Thy name. Before ארח path supply the preposition ל for.
  
  Verse 9
  
  נפשי <i>My soul</i>, that is, the thought of my soul,8<i class="footnote">A. V., With my soul, with my spirit. אויתיך I desired thee, and אשחרך Will I seek thee early, are, according to I. E., the thoughts which fill the soul and spirit of the righteous, and are, therefore, by a kind of metonymy, called their soul and spirit.</i> was בלילה אויתיך <i>I have desired Thee in the night; </i>
  Yea the thought of my spirit <i>within me</i>, was אשחרך <i>I will seek Thee early</i>. Man has נפש soul and רוח spirit, as I explained in Koheleth.9<i class="footnote">In his commentary on Koheleth 3:21, I. E. says that נפש is common to all living creatures, but נשמה is peculiar to human beings alone;—the difference between רוח and נפש is not explained there. On Koheleth 7:3, he remarks that the life of man manifests itself in his vegetable, animal and intellectual nature, or as explained there by I. E. himself, in his appetitive, נפש, sensitive, רוח, and deliberative capacities נשמה.</i> 
  <i>When Thy judgments are</i>, etc. When Thy judgments appear on the earth the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
  תבל <i>World</i>. The inhabited part of the earth.
  
  Verse 10
  
  יחן <i>Let favour be shewn</i>. A verb ע״ע; it is a form like יוסב is turned (28:27).10<i class="footnote">יחַֻן is future Hophal of יוסב ; חנן future Hophal of סבב.</i>—God is merciful to the wicked, but they will not learn righteousness; He has patience with them for a long time, they might perhaps improve. 
  <i>In the land of uprightness</i>. In the place where the people are upright, they (the wicked) will do wrong.
  נבחות <i>Straightforwardness</i>. It is related to נכח before (Ex. 26:35); comp. נכחים right (2 Sam. 15:3). <i>And will not behold</i>, etc. He does not wish to consider the greatness of God.
  
  Verse 11
  
  רמה ידך בל יחזיון <i>When Thy hand is lifted up</i>11<i class="footnote">רמה Is lifted up, that is, does not touch them or does not punish them.</i> <i>they will not see</i>. יחזו ויבשו קנאת עם <i>But they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people</i>; let them show their envy of Thy people, and be ashamed, אף אש צריך תאכלם <i>And let the fire devour Thine enemies</i>. Some explain the former phrase thus: Let them see Thy punishment inflicted upon all of them. According to this explanation, the phrase has the same meaning as the words אף אש צריך תאכלם yea, even the fire, which shall devour thine enemies.12<i class="footnote">A. V., They shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea the fire of Thine enemies shall devour them.—The Hebrew text has  קנאתך בבלם יחזו, which is perhaps to be altered into יחזו קנאתך בכל עם, since the difference between the two explanations is, that according to the first, עם refers to Israel, according to the second, to all other nations, so that קנאת עם is either the envy of the heathen people at Israel, or the punishment inflicted upon all people, that are enemies to Israel or to God.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  תשפות <i>Thou wilt ordain</i>. Comp. שפות set on (Ez. 24:3).
  <i>For thou also hast wrought</i>, etc. For Thou hast always done for us what we do not know how to do.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>Other lords</i>, <i>besides Thee</i>, <i>have had dominion</i>, etc. For we worshipped Thee even when others became our masters. בעלונו <i>Had dominion over us</i>, were our masters (בעלים); comp. לבעליו unto the owner of them (Ex. 21:34). <i>But by Thee only we make mention of Thy name</i>. Nevertheless we praised Thy name. לבד בך <i>But by Thee</i>. Thou hast helped us, therefore we were able to praise Thee.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>They are dead</i>. Those our masters, that have owned us, are now dead.
  
  Verse 15
  
  יספת Thou hast continued.13<i class="footnote">A. V., Thou hast increased the nation. I. E. explains יספת Thou hast continued, and supplies the infinitive to chastise.</i> <i>Thou hast removed it far unto all the ends of the earth</i>. The more Thou hast chastised Thy people, the more they acknowledged Thy glory, even when exiled from their country.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>In trouble</i>. In their trouble.
  צקון <i>They poured out</i>. The נ is paragogic, as in ידעון they knew (Deut. 8:3); the word is besides irregular; the regular form is יצקו; the first radical is dropped in צקון; comp. ירד═רד he went down (Judg. 19:11). As to the phrase they poured out a prayer, comp. he will pour out his prayer (Ps. 102:1).
  מוסרך למו <i>Thy chastening upon them</i>.14<i class="footnote">A. V., When thy chastening was upon them.</i> They mention in their prayer the punishment which thou hast inflicted upon them.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Like as a woman</i>, etc. This verse describes the chastening mentioned in the preceding verse.
  תקריב <i>That draweth near</i> Lit. that bringeth near, namely, herself.15<i class="footnote">תקריב is Hiphil, and therefore transitive; the object herself must be supplied.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>We have conceived</i>, <i>we have been in pain with</i>, <i>as we have brought forth</i>, <i>wind</i>.16<i class="footnote">A. V., We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have, as it were (כְמוֹ) brought forth wind. According to I. E. the word כמו compares the verbs הָרִינוּ we have conceived and הַלְנוּ we have been in pain, with the verb יָלַדְנוּ רוּחַ we have brought forth, with regard to the object רוּחַ wind, which is common to all of them.</i> We have conceived, and we have been in pain with wind, and so we have also brought forth wind. We had no strength to deliver ourselves; this is the meaning of the following ישועות בל נעשה we have not wrought any deliverance. We were not able to bring any deliverance.
  ארץ <i>In the earth</i>. Supply ב; comp. בששת═ששת (Ex. 20:11).
  ובל יפלו Some say, that א is omitted, as in ויפלו (Neh. 6:16); but the latter has its usual meaning (and they fell), as will be explained by me. I explain בל יפלו we could not help their falling.17<i class="footnote">According to I. E. the root of יפלו is נפל to fall. ובל יפלו ישבי תבל We could not effect that the inhabitants of the world should not fall; that is, we could not prevent the destruction which threatened to come over a great many of the inhabitants of the world.—A. V., Neither have the inhabitants of the earth fallen.—The passage quoted from Nehemiah ויפלו מאוד בעיניהם is explained by I. E. בשפלים ונפלים ממעלתם they appeared to themselves low and degraded.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>Thy dead men shall live</i>. Only Thy dead men shall live; God is addressed. Generally, it is believed, that this phrase contains some reference to the resurrection of the dead.18<i class="footnote">Comp. Targum: Thou wilt revive the dead.</i> Some explain it as a contrast to They are dead, they will not live, (ver. 14), they, that is, our masters, are dead, but we, who were considered as dead, are living. 
  <i>My dead body</i>. The first person refers to the prophet, who is one of the Israelites, that are considered as dead. Let Thy dead men live, and let the dead of my people rise, as if they heard the cry: Awake, etc.
  טל אורות <i>A dew of light</i>.19<i class="footnote">A. V., The dew of herbs.</i> A dew acccompanied by light. <i>Thy dew</i>. God is addressed in these words. According to others, אורות means herbs; comp. 2 Kings 4:39; it signifies a kind of herb, which turns toward the sun and moon.20<i class="footnote">Comp. Plin. Nat. Hist. Lib. XVIII., cap. 36 (Lupinus) cum sole quotidie circumagitur, horasque agricolis etiam nubilo demonstrat. The lupine makes its daily circuit with the sun, and shows the farmer the time even when the heaven is covered with clouds.</i> 
  וְהָאָרֶץ ═ וָאָרֶץ. And the earth <i>Shall cast out the dead</i>, out of itself. תפיל Shall cast out, shall bear; comp. כנפל אשח As the untimely birth of a woman (Psalm 58:9). Others explain, Thou alone hast given life to Thy dead; for it is the nature of the earth to throw the dead into its midst.21<i class="footnote">The dead are buried and hidden under the surface of the earth, whence we do not see them rise again; the restoration of the dead to life is therefore not the usual course of nature, but an extraordinary and miraculous act of the Almighty.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Come</i>, <i>my people</i>, etc. R. Moses Hakkohen explains this verse to mean that the people shall shut themselves in Jerusalem, because of Sennacherib.22<i class="footnote">See xxiv., Notes 18 and 24.</i> 
  חבי Some explain this word as a regular form of a verb (חבה) ל״ה; the feminine form חבי is used, because עם is sometimes feminine; comp. וחטאת עמך And thy people sinneth (Ex. 5:16). R. Jehudah, the Grammarian, says,23<i class="footnote">See two treatises on verbs containing feeble and double letters, of R. Jehuda Hayug, of Fez, etc., ed. by John W. Nutt, M.A., <i>sub voce</i> חבה.</i> that חבי is a noun like שבי captivity. The first explanation is the right one.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>The Lord cometh out</i>. The decrees of the Lord come out.24<i class="footnote">See xvi., Note 26.</i> 
  <i>Her blood</i>. The slain, that are buried in the earth.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ביום ההוא In those days.1<i class="footnote">ביום ההוא Though singular, does not refer to one particular day, but to a whole period.</i> 
  <i>The Lord shall visit</i>. As mentioned in the preceding verse.
  <i>Leviathan</i>. The Theli ; (תלי)2<i class="footnote">תלי is the imaginary axis or line through the centre of the earth, and the two points in which the ecliptic and the equator, or the ecliptic and the orbit of the moon meet. The latter is probably meant here. The origin of the word has not yet been fully established. It is generally believed to be the same as in Arabic تالي but the two words, being quite different in meaning, תלי) hanging, تالي following,) are probably not connected with each other. Moreover, if תלי were the same as تالي it would have been written תאלי. It seems more probable and natural to derive תלי from תלה to hang, since it denotes the ends from which the earth is, as it were, suspended. (Comp. תלאי Talm. Bab. Shab. 78; and תולה ארץ על כלימה He hangeth the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7). This axis, being a straight line, is called בריח a bar, which passes in a straight line from one end to the other; but at the same time the attribute עקלתון crooked, is given to it, because the intersections of the ecliptic and the orbit of the moon are not constant, and the three points above-mentioned are therefore not exactly in a straight line. It is likewise connected with the name of תנין dragon; the one end of the line being called the head, the other the tail of the dragon. These names owe their origin probably to the serpentine winding of the orbit of the moon round the ecliptic. R. Jehuda Hallevi compares the axis of the ecliptic with a king, who sitteth on his throne and thence governs the whole country (Cusari 4:25). A similar idea presented itself to the mind of the commentator, who explained נחש בריח by תלי, and signified by this figure the king of Assyria or of Egypt.</i> it has the epithet בריח stretching,3<i class="footnote">A. V., Piercing.</i> because it stretches from one end to the other. [I think it is a sea monster].4<i class="footnote">The words in brackets are added, firstly because from the remark of I. E. on Job 26:13, it appears that he explained נחש בריח to be a sea monster; secondly, because it is evident from his remark on נחש עקלתון that a remark to that effect must have preceded.</i> 
  <i>Even Leviathan</i>, <i>that crooked serpent</i>. This is likewise an animal that lives in the sea; it is like a serpent, for there are also serpent-like animals in the sea.5<i class="footnote">The sea-monsters are usually called תנינים; this remark is therefore added, that they are also called נחשים, some of them being serpent-like.</i> עקלתון <i>Crooked</i>. It is an adjective. 
  <i>And the dragon that is in the sea</i>. That is, The great dragon in the sea. (Ez. 29:3). 
  Some are of opinion that the Leviathan, the stretching serpent, and the Leviathan, the crooked serpent, are both land animals, and are used figuratively for the kings of the land;6<i class="footnote">Assyria or Babylon.</i> while the dragon that is in the sea, is used for the king of Egypt (Comp. Ez. 29:3), or as others believe, for the king of Tyre. R. Moses Hakkohen thinks, that this verse refers to the élite of soldiers, princes, and nobles.7<i class="footnote">That is, the chiefs of the army of Sennacherib before Jerusalem.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  חמר <i>Wine</i>8<i class="footnote">A. V., Red wine. Pure. A vineyard of red wine.</i> Comp. חָמֶר wine (Deut. 32:14). <i>A vineyard of wine</i>. A vineyard that yields a large quantity of wine.
  ענו <i>Sing</i>. Comp. ענות Singing (Ex. 32:18).
  <i>Unto her</i>. Unto Zion. The imperative sing is addressed to the singers.9<i class="footnote">The subject, Ye singers, is not directly mentioned, but contained implicitly in the verb. Comp. ii. Note 5.</i> The prophet has said already, that Judah is the pleasant plant of the Lord (5:7)
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>I</i>, <i>the Lord, do keep it</i>, that is to say, the Divine glory remains in Zion. 
  <i>I will water it every moment</i>. The prophecy will not cease. פן יפקד. R. Jonah, the Grammarian, says, that לא ═ פן, and פן יפקד עליה ;אפקד ═ יפקד means accordingly, I will not punish her (though I shall punish all other nations). Comp. פן תפלס Do not ponder.10<i class="footnote">More instances of an interchange of this kind are given by R. Jona in his grammar, Sefer Harikma 100:28. A. V., Lest any hurt it. Lest thou shouldst ponder.</i> R. Isaak ben Saul compares יפקד with נפקד there lacketh (Num. 31:49), and joins this with the preceding phrase in this way, I will water it every moment, lest its leaves drop.
  עליה <i>Its leaves</i>. Each of its leaves.11<i class="footnote">A. V., It. Comp. ii. Note 18.</i> Comp. 1:30.12<i class="footnote">This instance is only quoted to show that עליה means her leaves. R. Isaak ben Saul confounds the Kal יפקד and the Niphal נפקד; it is only the latter which has the meaning to be missing.</i> R. Moses Hakkohen explains it thus, I shall guard it day and night, lest the enemy hurt it. I think that this explanation is the right one.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Fury is not in me</i>, etc. Some say that this verse is the continuation of the words of the Lord. <i>Fury is not in me</i>, that is, great fury is not in me. 
  <i>Who would set</i>, etc. Anthropomorphism.13<i class="footnote">In reality God has the power to do whatever He thinks proper to do, and is not in need of the assistance of any being, as the literal meaning of the exclamation, who would set, etc., implies.</i> Supply ב before שמיר brier, comp. בששח═ששח in six, (Ex. 20:11). The meaning of the sentence is, Who would set me against the brier and thorn of the vineyard, that is, against the wicked people; and in the day of my war against the vineyard, אפשעה בה <i>I would go through it;</i>14<i class="footnote">A. V., Them.</i>—comp. כפשע but a step (1 Sam. 20:3)—
  אציתנה <i>I would burn it;</i>—comp. הציתו they have burnt (2 Sam. 14:35)
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>Or let him take hold</i>, etc. Or let the Israelites take hold of my strength, then I shall not have war with them—comp. the Lord hath been like an enemy (Lam. 2:5)—
  nor with other nations, for the sake of Israel; this double peace is indicated by the repetition of the words he will make peace unto me. 
  R. Moses Hakkohen explains these two verses in the following way: <i>Fury is not in me</i>, what I am going to say, I shall not say with fury. מי יתנני וגו׳ <i>Who would give me</i>—comp. נתתני thou hast given me (Judges 1:15)—<i>the briers and thorns</i> of the vineyard! <i>I would go through them, etc.</i>; that is, if they do not remove the wicked men of Israel, I will slay them all; or <i>let him take hold of my strength</i>, etc., then <i>Jacob shall take root.</i>—
  I think that God is not represented as speaking in these two verses, as is the case in many passages of this book—we need only refer to the preceding chapter, verses 18 and 1915<i class="footnote">The peculiarity hinted at in this remark seems to consist in the introduction of the dialogue form; ver. 3 is assigned to God, ver. 4 and 5 to Israel, ver. 6 again to God; similarly 26:18—19 is assigned to the people, ver. 20 again to the Lord.</i>—but the men of Judah,16<i class="footnote">The expression איש יהודה the men of Judah, is perhaps used by I. E. instead of Israel, because the second part of this chapter (comp. ver. 7), refers, according to his interpretation, to the kingdom of Israel.</i> after having heard God’s promise, I the Lord will keep it, lest he visit it, are introduced, saying, We do not declare with fury, that if the enemy should come to turn the vineyard into a place of briers and thorns, we should kill ourselves. Comp.17<i class="footnote">The passages which follow are instances of the use of the third person instead of the first, as is the case here; through it ═ through myself.</i> And Ezekiel shall be, instead of And I shall be (Ez. 25:24), And Samuel, instead of And myself (1 Sam. 12:11); As he hath done, instead of As I have done (Lev. 8:34); במלחמה in war, is to be joined with מי יתנני who would turn me in this way: If one should come to turn me by war into a place of briers and thorns, etc. או יחזק <i>Or if He would strengthen my stronghold</i>, etc., to give me the strengthening promise that He will be in peace with me, and so should the enemy be, then Jacob would take root, etc. I am compelled to explain in this way by the phrase, He will make peace unto me, because it is God alone that maketh peace.18<i class="footnote">I. E. is not the author of the first opinion, which attributes to God the words, He will make peace unto me, since, as he says, he is compelled to assume, that they are to be assigned to the men of Judah. It is often the case in the commentaries of I. E., that an anonymous opinion, which is supposed to be generally adopted, is followed by the commentator’s own explanation, introduced by a phrase like ואני אומר ,ולפי דעתי but I think, but I say. In this verse the first explanation is perhaps to be assigned to those whose opinion is introduced at the beginning of verse 4, with the words, some say.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  .19<i class="footnote">Literally: In coming days. בימים הבאים═בהבאים ═ הבאים</i>בהבאים ═ הבאים In future. According to some: the children.20<i class="footnote">Literally: The coming <i>sc.</i> generations. הדורות הבאים ═ הבאים</i>
  ישרש <i>He shall cause to take root.</i> Comp. ישרשיח ותשרש and didst cause it to take deep root (Psa. 80:10).21<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has ,ותשאר שרשיה and causes its roots to remain; but ותשאר is evidently a mistake; there is no feminine noun in this verse with which the ת could agree; the remark would also be then quite superfluous. ותשאר must therefore be altered into ,ותשרש which is part of a quotation.</i> 
  תנובה. Fruit.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Hath he smitten him</i>, etc. This prophecy refers to the fall of Samaria, to which alone the expression אשרים groves can be applied.22<i class="footnote">It is not clear at all how the mention of the groves can prove that this prophecy refers to Samaria, since this capital was not the only place that contained groves, and whose inhabitants were idolaters.</i> 
  <i>Those that smote him.</i> The Assyrians.
  <i>Of them that are slain by him.</i> Of the Canaanites that were slain when the Israelites conquered their country. God did not smite the Israelites in the same way as he smote the Canaanites.
  
  Verse 8
  
  בסאסאה. <i>In measure.</i> According to most commentators בסאסאה is a reduplication of סאה measure, like 23<i class="footnote">Root: טול :ירק.</i>23<i class="footnote">Root: טול :ירק.</i>ירקרק green (Lev. 13:49); מטלטלך Will carry thee away (22:17). 
  <i>Thou wilt debate with it,</i> with Samaria; comp. the defenced city (ver. 10)24<i class="footnote">The pronoun it is here used, although the noun to which it refers is not mentioned before; what the prophet meant by this pronoun must have been clear to the listener. The whole passage from ver. 7, refers, according to I. E., to Samaria; because of the defenced city of ver. 10; but that city is not proved by I. E. to be Samaria; Kimchi leaves it doubtful, whether it is Samaria or Jerusalem.</i>. 
  בשלחה According to some: with its sword.25<i class="footnote">A. V., When it shooteth forth.</i> The meaning of the sentence accordingly is: Samaria destroyed itself with its own instruments of war. Comp. השלח the sword (Joel 2:8). More correctly, however, it may be compared with שלחיך thy plants (Song 4:13), especially because of the words: on the day of the east wind.26<i class="footnote">The figure the day of the east wind, leads the reader to suppose that there is also a reference to plants, which are damaged by the east wind.</i> Samaria was punished with her own measure, she had quarrelled even with the people of her own villages,—which may be considered as her plants (שלחה)—therefore. הגה <i>the Lord removed</i>27<i class="footnote">A. V., Stayeth.—Being in continual conflict with her neighbours, Samaria was taken away from amongst them.</i> <i>her;</i> comp. 28<i class="footnote">Hophal of יגה.</i>הוגה he was removed (2 Sam. 20:13); ה replaces the radical י; as in ידה═הדה he stretched forth (11:8). 
  קדים East wind.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>By this, therefore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged</i>, etc. That is, no evil shall befall him—for the iniquity of Jacob (עון יעקב) is the source of all his evils28a<i class="footnote">עון iniquity is, therefore, used here for רע evil.</i>—and the decree shall be rescinded, if they abolish idolatry.
  הסר <i>To take away</i>. Infinitive.
  <i>The altar</i> of Baal.
  גיר Chalk.
  מנפצות <i>Beaten in sunder.</i> Comp. תנפצם Thou shalt break them (Ps. 2:9).
  לא יקמו <i>Shall not stand</i>. Shall not remain.29<i class="footnote">The use of קום to rise, in the sense of עמד to stand, is explained here by I. E. See xl. Note 20.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>The defenced city.</i> Samaria. בדד Shall be desolate.
  סעפיה <i>The branches thereof.</i> Comp. על שתי הסעפים upon the two branches (1 Kings 18:21).29a<i class="footnote">A. V. Between two opinions. According to I. E. the halting between two opinions is compared with the restlessness of a bird that flies from one branch to the other; and it seems as if I. E. intended to explain הסעפים על שתי rather than סעפיה; firstly because he passed this word over in silence, 17:6; secondly because he would have quoted סעיפיה (17:6,) as another instance, and not הסעפים which differs from סעיפיה in this verse by the Dagesh in פ. It is, however, possible, that I. E. read סעפּיה.</i> The open towns are meant.
  
  Verse 11
  
  קצירה <i>The bough</i>30<i class="footnote">A. V. The boughs.</i> <i>thereof.</i> Comp. בקצירי In my branch (Job. 29:19). 
  <i>They shall be broken off.</i> The pronoun they refers to פארות the smaller branches,31<i class="footnote">I. E. supplies the feminine plural פארות the smaller branches, in order to make the subject agree with the predicate תשברנה; he might, however, supply סעיפיה, which is likewise the plural of a feminine noun, and is previously mentioned, while פארות is not hinted at in this chapter, unless we assume the identity of פארות and סעיפים.</i> while קציר signifies the large branch. 
  מאירות Some explain: Collect;32<i class="footnote">A. V., Set them on fire.</i> comp. אריתי I have gathered (Song 5:1). Even the women that have no strength will break and gather them. Others: Set on fire. The branches will be used as fuel. This is the right explanation. Comp. תאירו ye kindle fire (Mal. 1:10)
  
  Verse 12
  
  ביום ההוא In those days.33<i class="footnote">See Note 1.</i>
  יחבט <i>Shall beat off.</i> Comp. תחבט thou wilt beat (Deut. 24:10); חובט beating (Judg. 6:11); therefore the expression תלקטו you will be gathered together is also used.
  <i>One by one.</i> Only a few will be left out of many.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>And it shall come to pass in that day</i>, etc. Then all the children of Ephraim34<i class="footnote">Since Assyria and Egypt are named in this verse, and not Babylon, this prophecy is referred to the exile of the ten tribes, who will be glad to have an opportunity of returning to Jerusalem, and of joining their brethren in the worship of God.</i> that are in exile will hasten to return to Jerusalem, seeing that their own kingdom has ceased to exist.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>The drunkards of Ephraim.</i> The princes1<i class="footnote">According to I. E. שכרי אפרים the drunkards of Ephraim, is in apposition to עטרת נאות the crown of pride, which he explains to signify the royal crown, and by metonymy, the kings or princes.</i> indulged in wine.
  צבי <i>Beauty</i>. Comp. 4:2.
  <i>Crown</i>. The royal crown, the king.
  ראש <i>The best</i>.2<i class="footnote">A. V., The head of the fat valleys.</i>2<i class="footnote">A. V., The head of the fat valleys.</i> Comp. ראשי בשמים the chief spices (Song 4:14). ניא שמנים <i>Valley of oil</i>. There was so much of it, that it was like a valley full of oil. Comp. בגיא in the valley (Deut. 3:29). Others compare נֵּיא with נֵּא proud (16:6), and say that the radical ה is omitted.3<i class="footnote">Root גאה.—The difference in spelling, גֵּיא (with י) and נֵּא (without י) is entirely overlooked.</i>
  הלומי <i>Overcome</i>. Comp. הלמוני they have smitten me (Prov. 23:35)
  
  Verse 2
  
  חזק <i>Mighty</i>. Attribute to יום day, or חיל host, which is to be supplied. 
  שער קטב. The כ in כזרם refers also to שער: As a destroying wind.
  קטב Destruction. Comp. קטבך thy destruction (Hos. 13:14).
  הניח לארץ <i>He cast down to the earth</i>. God sent those storms and caused them to visit the earth. ביד <i>With the hand</i>. With His mighty hand.
  
  Verse 3
  
  עטרת <i>Crown</i>. Singular form but plural sense; there are many instances of this usage.
  
  Verse 4
  
  ציצת נובל The blooming of the blossom which will fade away,4<i class="footnote">A. V., A fading flower.—I. E. supplies ציץ blossom, or עלה leaf, plant, because of the incongruity of the feminine ציצת and the masculine נובל. There is besides, according to his opinion, a contradiction between a fading flower, and the glorious beauty, which he believes to be in apposition to the former; he explains therefore נובל to have the meaning of a participle future that will fade away, and for a similar reason, השדודה (Ps. 137:8): that will be destroyed. The latter expression is explained by him differently in his commentary on the Psalms (ad locum).</i>—comp. בת בבל השדודה O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed (Psa. 137:8)—or the blossom of the fading plant, and this is better.
  כבכורה <i>As the hasty fruit.</i> As the fig that ripens before any of the summer fruit comes.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>In that day</i>, etc. This will be just the reverse of the fate of the crown of Ephraim; for the kingdom of the Lord will appear in Zion.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>To him that sitteth in judgment.</i> To the judges. God will strengthen them. אל השער ═ שערה.
  <i>To the gate</i>. שערה משיבי מלחמה. Some explain: who turn the battle away from the gates. R. Moses Hakkohen renders the passage thus: (God will give strength to those) who have escaped,5<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation השערה (lit. to the gate) is very strangely the same as מן השער (lit., from the gate). The literal translation of the phrase according to the other opinion is: those who turn the battle to the gate, that is, those who come back in their flight to the gate to defend the town against the besieging army.</i> and this is the right explanation.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>They also</i>, etc. There are also some of the men of Judah that have erred through wine, etc. 
  <i>The priest</i>, whose duty it is to teach; <i>the prophets</i>, whose duty it is to exhort the people.
  בראה <i>In the words of the prophet</i>,6<i class="footnote">A. V., In vision.</i> who rebukes the people; בדברי הראה ═ בראה.
  פקו פליליה, they pervert judgment; by the subject they the judges are meant, and the verb פקו has a transitive meaning; or the words of the judgment are unstable,7<i class="footnote">A. V., They stumble in judgment.</i> דברי the words of being supplied. I prefer this latter explanation; for פקו is intr.; comp. ופיק ברכים, and the tottering of the knees. (Nahum 2:11.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>For all tables are full of vomit</i>, etc. This is usually the case with drunken people.
  בלי מקום <i>So that there is no place</i>, which is not full, etc.; comp. עד אפס מקום until there be no place, (5:8). קיא צואה Asyndeta. They are covered with filthiness from the top to the bottom.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Whom shall he teach knowledge</i>, etc. When the prophet is about to reprove them, no one understands him; for because of the wine they have not their reason; they are like little children.
  שמועה <i>Doctrine</i>. A noun.
  גמולי <i>Those that are weaned</i>. This form can be both the absolute state of the noun as well as the construct; comp. השכוני באהלים they that dwell in tents (Judg. viii., 11).8<i class="footnote">I. E. means to say that the plural in the absolute state has sometimes the ending ־ֵי; but he is not of opinion that the two forms of the noun for the absolute and construct state are used promiscuously. Comp. I. E. on 15:1, and <i>ibid.</i> Note 2.</i>
  עתיקי <i>Drawn</i>. An adjective of the same root as ויעתק and he removed (Gen. xii., 8)
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>For precept must be upon precept</i>, etc. One must speak to them in the same way as the father speaks to his little child, that does not yet know much.9<i class="footnote">Some editions have שלא ירע עוד that he should not continue to do evil, but according to I. E. the prophet describes here the mode of imparting knowledge to infants. The Br. Mus. MS. has שלא ידע עוד, and this reading has been adopted for the translation.</i> 
  צו לצו Precept after10<i class="footnote">A. V., Upon.</i>10<i class="footnote">A. V., Upon.</i> precept, or precept joined to precept.
  קו לקו <i>Line after</i> <i>line.</i> This is just the way how writing is taught.
  <i>Here a little and there a little.</i> Little by little, gradually.
  
  Verse 11
  
  בלעני שפה <i>With laughing</i>12<i class="footnote">A. V., Stammering.</i> <i>lips.</i> Comp. לענ derision (Ps. lxxix., 4). The teacher speaks to the child in a laughing and mocking way. 
  <i>And with another tongue.</i> The teacher usually tries to substitute letters which are easy to pronounce for the more difficult ones; in the same manner the prophet must speak, when he rebukes this people.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>He said.</i> The prophet said.
  <i>This is the rest,</i> etc. Jerusalem is the place of your rest; there procure rest for the weary; he shall not take refuge in Assyria or Egypt.
  המרנעה <i>The refreshing.</i> Comp. מרגוע rest (Job 6:16); both words are substantives. According to the grammarian of Jerusalem13<i class="footnote">This author is mentioned by I. E. several times, but always without his name. Comp. Moznaim, Introduction: וחכם ירושלמי לא ידענו שמו And a learned man from Jerusalem, whose name I do not know.</i> מרגעה is a participle.14<i class="footnote">Participle Hiphil of רגע; lit.: that which gives rest.</i> 
  אבו ═ אבוא <i>They would.</i> Comp. ההלכו ═ ההלכוא who went (Jos. 10:24)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>But the word of the Lord was unto them</i>, etc. They indeed thought that the word of God itself was of no importance; it was only a school-exercise to them.15<i class="footnote">The word of God is compared with the lessons in reading and writing given to children. The meaning of the words are in that case immaterial. In the same way the people thought that the divine prophecies were only exercises of style and composition, either for the prophets in delivering, or for the public in hearing, them.</i> <i>That they might go</i>16<i class="footnote">לא in למען לא ילכו of the Hebrew text is superfluous; the following quotation: Woe unto, etc., proves that the words to Egypt, contain the explanation of I. E., not the comment of the people on the words of the prophet.</i> to Egypt. Comp. Woe to those that go down to Egypt, etc. (31:1), a portion of this same prophecy.17<i class="footnote">From c. xxiv. to c. xxxv. is, according to R. Moses Hakkohen, whom I. E. seems to follow, one continuous prophecy concerning the Assyrian invasion and the destruction of the army of Sennacherib.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Ye scornful men</i>, that say mockingly, that the words of the Lord are like precept upon precept, etc. 
  מושלי According to some, they that rule; comp. ממשלה dominion; but better, the poets; comp. המשלים they that speak in proverbs (Num. 21:27)
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>We have made a covenant with death</i>. We shall not die now.
  חזה <i>An agreement</i>. R. Moses Hakkohen says that חזות (ver. 18) signifies a kind of prophecy; but how can he apply this explanation to the phrase 18<i class="footnote">I. E. says that, although חזות in the phrase וחזותכם את שאול לא תקום (ver. 18) might be explained to signify prophecy, and the whole sentence to mean: And what you prophesied concerning the grave will not be fulfilled, it is impossible to find that sense in the phrase ועם שאול עשינו חוזה, which has evidently the same meaning; חזות and חוזה are therefore explained by the assumption of an ellipsis, to be the same as ברית חזות and ברית חוזה, a covenant of a prophecy and a covenant of a prophet; that is, a covenant like that made by divine inspiration.</i>?עשינו חזה I think that חזה means prophet, and explain עשינו חזה to be the same as עשינו ברית חזה We have made a prophet’s covenant, a covenant like that made by divine inspiration. 
  שוט שוטף An overflowing scourge, that is, famine; or better, the scourge of an overflowing stream; שוט נחל שוטף ═שוט שוטף.
  כי <i>Although.</i> Comp. Ps. 41:5
  
  Verse 16
  
  הנני יִסַּד <i>I will lay the foundation</i>. יסד is an adjective,19<i class="footnote">יסד and שבח, according to I. E., may also be considered as participles of the Piël, the preformative מְ of the Piël and Pual being sometimes dropped.</i> derived from a Piel like אִבַּד he hath destroyed (Lam. 2:9).20<i class="footnote">The Piël past has two forms, פִּעְל and פִּעַל; it is with the latter that יִסַּד is compared, and therefore אִבַּד is quoted. Comp. Zahoth, On the Piël.</i> Comp. ושבח אני and I praise (Koh. 4:2); which is likewise transitive.
  בחן <i>Tower</i>.21<i class="footnote">A. V., Tried.</i> Comp. ובוחן and towers (32:14). Zion will be protected against the King of Assyria.
  מוסד מוסד <i>A sure foundation</i>. The first מוסד is a noun, meaning foundation; it is a genitive, governed by the preceding noun יקרת the value of; the second is a participle Hophal, like מוסב; the ס has therefore a Dagesh, as a substitute for the omitted silent letter (ו).22<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has לבלוע הכפל to compensate for the omission of the duplicate; this does not refer to the ד, since the root is not סדד, but to the omission of ו, which is also noticed by the Masora; there should be two ו, one the mater lectionis, the other the first letter of the root. Comp. Zahoth, On the Hiphil.</i> 
  <i>Shall not make haste.</i> For this prophecy refers to a very remote future.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>To the line, to the plummet.</i> The figure, taken from the line and plummet of the builders, is used because of the words I will lay the foundation. Some are of opinion that Hezekiah is meant by the tried stone.
  ויעה ברד <i>And the hail shall sweep away.</i> Comp. היעים the shovels. ברד the hail is the subject to יעה, which is a transitive verb;23<i class="footnote">What I. E. means by this additional remark, that יעה is transitive is not clear; it can hardly be otherwise.</i> by hail the King of Assyria is here meant. 
  וסתר מים ישטפו. Repeat כזב falsehood after וסתר; And the waters shall overflow the hiding-place of falsehood; or supply אלה these: And the waters will overflow the unstable hiding-place.24<i class="footnote">In the Hebrew text the words וכן הוא וסתר מחסה מים ישטפו are without sense; there is no occasion whatever for the addition of מחסה, since מחסה וסתר is nearly the same as וסתר. But comparing this verse with ver. 15, we find that the word next to מחסה, namely כזב, is probably to be repeated. In the second explanation סתר מים, the hiding-place of water, סתר כזב ═, the hiding-place of falsehood, ═ the false or unstable hiding-place; and the literal translation of the whole phrase is: and the hiding-place of waters, these (the waters) will overflow. This latter interpretation is supported by the accents which join מים with סתר.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  וכפר <i>And shall be disannulled.</i> Comp. יכפרנה he will pacify it, that is, will annul or remove it. וברית חזותכם═וחזותכם And your prophetical agreement.25<i class="footnote">A. V., And your agreement.</i>
  והייתם <i>Then you shall be.</i>
  The ו has the same force as فَ in Arabic;26<i class="footnote">To introduce the apodosis when the protasis precedes; the phrase השלשי ביום is treated as the full sentence ויהי ביום השלשי When the third day came.</i> comp. וישא ביום השלישי on the third day, then Abraham lifted up (Gen. 22:4)
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>That it goeth forth.</i> That the overflowing river27<i class="footnote">The overflowing scourge of the preceding verse.</i> goeth forth.
  זועה <i>Vexation.</i> It is not the same as זעוה (Deut. 28:25), with transposition of letters, as many28<i class="footnote">Among them I. E. himself in his commentary on Deut. 28:25.</i> think; but it is derived from זוע to tremble, to move; comp. ולא זע and he moved not (Est. 5:9); the ו in the middle is analogous to the ו of מָוֶח death. The meaning of the whole phrase is: Whoever hears of you, of what has befallen you, will be afraid.
  
  Verse 20
  
  המצע <i>The mattress</i>,29<i class="footnote">A. V., The bed.</i> which is underneath in the bed.
  מהשתרע <i>than that a man can stretch himself on it.</i> Comp. שרוע superfluous too long (Lev. 22:23).
  המכסה═המסכה <i>The covering.</i>
  בהתכנס It is Infinitive of כנס to assemble; comp. כנוס gather together (Est. 4:16); and means When many gather together under it.30<i class="footnote">A. V., Than that he can wrap himself in it.</i> The figure refers to the people and its rulers.31<i class="footnote">Both the people and its rulers fail to give each other comfort and protection.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>As in mount Perazim</i>, known by the wars of David (2 Sam. 5:20); the place was called בעל פרצים place of breaches, because the Philistines were suddenly defeated there in a miraculous way. 
  <i>As in the valley of Gibeon</i> (Jos. 10:12), where sun and moon stood still. <i>That He may do His work, His strange work.</i> In the same way God will make a strange war against Israel, such as was never heard of before. 
  <i>And bring to pass His act, His strange act.</i> A mere repetition of the preceding idea, not an exceptional instance.
  
  Verse 22
  
  מוסרותיכם ═ מוסריכם Bands.
  ונחרצה <i>Even determined.</i> Comp. חרצת thou hast decided (1 Kings 20:40)
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Hear my voice, hear my speech</i>. Parallelism.
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>Doth the plowman,</i> etc. The plowman tills the ground once and twice, and sows, then the earth by its natural power brings forth the increase.
  יפתח <i>He opens,</i> וישדד <i>and he breaks the clods,</i> that is, he prepares the field; comp. Hos. 10:11. יפתח and וישדד are a repetition of the same idea in different words.
  
  Verse 25
  
  שוה <i>He hath made plain</i>. Derived from שוה equal; comp. נשתוה alike (Prov. 27:15).
  קצח A kind of cummin, but smaller and black. 
  שורה According to some, good; according to others, with measure; comp. במשורה with the measure (Lev. 19:35), and this is right.
  ושערה <i>And barley.</i> It is well known.32<i class="footnote">This remark seems to be quite superfluous, especially since חטה did not enlist any such observation from the commentator. The words השעורה ידוע in the Hebrew text, present two other difficulties; firstly, the fem. ידועה is required; secondly, the repetition of שעורה is not the usual style of I. E. The two words contain most probably the explanation of נסמן, and are a corruption of בשעור ידוֹע, in a well-known measure.</i>
  נסמן <i>Marked.</i> Comp. סימן sign.
  נבלתו <i>In its place.</i> Comp. מגבלות measured33<i class="footnote">This explanation is given in the abridged commentary on Exodus, but in the large one he declares it too hard to find the exact meaning of the expression. A. V., At the ends.</i> (Ex. 28:14)
  
  Verse 26
  
  ויסרו <i>For the Lord instructed him</i>.34<i class="footnote">A. V., For his God doth instruct him.</i> The Lord has already instructed him, who sows and scatters the seed, and taught him how to do it.
  למשפט <i>According to the custom</i>,35<i class="footnote">A. V., To discretion. I. E. seems to lay stress on the definite article in לַמּשפט according to the usual well-known custom.</i> to do as it is usually done; comp. כמשפט after the manner (Num. 29:32). <i>His God doth teach him.</i> The same.36<i class="footnote">The same as ויסרו למשפט. I. E. does not explain the change of the tense in the two verbs; the first (וְיִסְּרוֹ) being past, the second (יוֹרֶנּוּ) future; ויסרו could also be explained to be future by the conversive ו, but I. E. paraphrases it כבר יסר, hath already instructed him.</i>
  
  Verse 27
  
  בחרוץ <i>With a threshing instrument.</i> Comp. 41:15.
  יסב <i>Neither is turned about.</i> Repeat לא, the negation of the first part of the verse, before יוסב
  
  Verse 28
  
  <i>Bread corn is bruised.</i> It is customary for bread corn to be bruised.
  אדוש <i>To thresh.</i> The א is prosthetic, as in אזרועך thine arm (Jer. 32:21).
  והמם <i>And he turneth</i>, etc.37<i class="footnote">A. V., Nor break it with a wheel of his cart. I. E. does not refer to this phrase the negation in the beginning of the verse.</i> And when he turns the wheel of his cart to till the field, his horsemen will then not break it (the corn), for God has appointed every thing for its proper season; therefore the prophet continues <i>This also cometh from the Lord</i>, namely, that he shall not bruise it always.
  
  Verse 29
  
  הפליא עצה <i>Who is wonderful in counsel.</i>
  תושיה הגדיל <i>Who is great in wisdom</i>.38<i class="footnote">A. V., Excellent in working.</i> R. Moses Hakkohen derives הושיה from יש substance.39<i class="footnote">Comp. Commentary (assigned to I. E.) on Prov. 2:7: The wisdom is called תושיה, substance, because it is true substance, it is everlasting.</i>—The nature of the earth and the seeds is better than the character of man, who hears the words of the prophet without any profit The reverse40<i class="footnote">To listen to the words of the prophet with advantage.</i> is expressed by a similar figure: Let my doctrine drop like rain, as I explained (Deut. 32:2)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Ariel.</i> Jerusalem. According to some, Ariel is the name of Jerusalem, on account of the altar therein, which is called הראל and also אריאל Harel and Ariel (Ez. 43:15, 16); for the letters אׄ הׄ וׄ יׄ interchange1<i class="footnote">Strictly speaking, there is, besides the interchange of א and ה, the omission of י in הראל.</i>; according to others, on account of her planet being the lion; but this is absurd.
  קרית <i>The city;</i> it is in the construct state; supply אמת of truth, or some similar word: the city of truth, 
  where David hath dwelt; or the city, where David dwelt, since the whole sentence, with the past tense of a verb, can in this case be considered as a noun in the genitive governed by a preceding substantive; comp. בראשית ברא in the beginning, when God created, etc. (Gen. 1:1); תחלת דבר וגו׳ the beginning of the Lord’s speaking to Hosea (Hos. 1:1).
  ספו <i>Add.</i> Comp. לספת to add (Num. 32:14).
  חגים <i>Sacrifices.</i>
  ינקפו Will cease. It is a neuter verb. It can also be rendered: they shall kill, ינקפו being explained to be a transitive verb with the omission of the subject (הנקפים the men that kill); comp. ויאמר ליוסף and one said to Joseph2<i class="footnote">See note on 2:4.</i> (Gen. 48:1)
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>To Ariel.</i> To Jerusalem.
  תאניה ואניה <i>Heaviness and sorrow.</i> Comp. ואנו and they shall mourn (19:8). According to others, A waste place, the two words being derived from אנה where; the meaning of the phrase is, that only her place will be left.3<i class="footnote">Concerning the use of two different forms of the same word consecutively, see I. E. on 3:1, and note 1.</i>
  והיתה לי כאריאל <i>And it shall be unto me as Ariel</i>, as the altar which is desolate of sacrifices,4<i class="footnote">Jerusalem will be similarly desolate of its inhabitants.</i> or like an altar, because the inhabitants will be slaughtered.
  
  Verse 3
  
  כדור <i>Suddenly</i>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., Round about.</i> Comp. 22:18.6<i class="footnote">It is not clear what I. E. means by comparing this passage with 22:18. כדור in that verse means a ball, a round thing. It would be rather far-fetched to suppose that it meant here as quickly and as suddenly as a ball flying through the air meets us. See c. xxii., note 26.</i> 
  מגדל מצב ═ מצב A tower set up.7<i class="footnote">A. V., With a mount.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And thou shalt be brought down.</i> This applies to the words of Hezekiah’s messengers to Rabshakeh.8<i class="footnote">Comp. 36:11.</i> 
  <i>Thou shalt speak out of the ground.</i> Thou shalt speak so, as if the voice came from the depth of the earth.
  כאב <i>As a potter</i>.9<i class="footnote">A. V., As of one that hath a familiar spirit.</i> Comp. כאבת as bottles.—The potter, because of his vocation,10<i class="footnote">The potter was mostly occupied with his work below the surface of the earth.</i> speaks from below.
  
  Verse 5
  
  כאבק דק <i>Like small dust.</i> Some word must be supplied, because of אבק being in the construct state.11<i class="footnote">Our editions have כְאָבָק, in the absolute state; I. E. read כַאֲבַק as the dust of, and requires the supplement of a genitive. The translation of the sentence according to I. E. would be, and the multitude of thy strangers shall be small as the dust of.</i> 
  <i>The multitude of thy strangers.</i> The army of the Assyrians. <i>Yet it shall be at an instant, suddenly</i>. All this, mentioned before, shall take place suddenly.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>By the Lord</i>, etc. From the Lord will this visitation come against the besiegers. 
  <i>With thunder</i> from above.
  <i>With earthquake</i> below.
  <i>With great noise, with storm and tempest, and flame of fire</i>. All this refers to the angel that was sent to destroy the Assyrian army.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Shall be as a dream</i>, etc. It will be like a dream; it causes man to see things by night, which, when he awakes, are no more. This was to be the case with the Assyrian camp. 
  צובאיה ═ צוביה Her hosts.12<i class="footnote">A. V., Those that fight against her.</i> ואנשי מצודתה ═ ומצודתה And the men engaged in her siege,13<i class="footnote">A. V., And her munition.</i> or And all the towers of the besiegers.
  
  Verse 8
  
  והנה <i>And behold.</i> The word חלום dream, is usually followed by והנה and behold, or as if; the subject to the following אׄכֵל is רָעֵב the hungry. 
  שוקקה Desirous to drink.14<i class="footnote">A. V., Hath appetite.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Stay yourselves.</i> The prophet addresses the men of Zion who will be curious to know how this will happen, and what the meaning of this prophecy is.—The prophet speaks in the same manner as people use to speak one to another; and why do they still not understand him? because <i>they are drunken, but not with wine.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  נסך <i>He has covered</i>.15<i class="footnote">A. V., Hath poured out.</i> Comp. והמסכה and the covering (28:20). <i>Upon you.</i> Upon the inhabitants of Zion.
  ויעצם <i>And he closed.</i> Derived from עצם bone; he put, as it were, a bone on your eyes.
  כסה <i>He covered</i>. This proves that נסך has also the meaning, he covered.16<i class="footnote">In truth, the word כסה does not at all prove the correctness of I. E.’s explanation concerning נסך; the parallelism of the verse is the same, whether we explain נסך to mean to pour out, or to cover.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>The vision of all.</i> Every prophecy.
  <i>For it is sealed.</i> They cannot understand it; the same meaning is contained in the words, seal the law (8:16),17<i class="footnote">God told the prophet to leave the prophecy for the present unexplained.</i> as I explained.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>And the book is delivered</i>, etc. Neither the wise men nor those that have no intellect will understand this prophecy.18<i class="footnote">Neither the wise will understand it by their own reasoning, because it is not open to them, nor the rest of the people, because it will not be explained to them by the prophet.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  נגש <i>He vexeth himself</i>.19<i class="footnote">A. V., Draw near. Our editions have נִגַּשׂ; I. E. read נִגַּשׂ, which seems to be right according to the Masora. See Kimchi ad locum.</i> Comp. והנגשים the taskmasters (Exod. 5:13). It is Niph.—They will afflict themselves in vain with fasting.
  בפיו <i>With his mouth.</i> With the mouth of each of them.20<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 3:12.</i>
  מלמדה <i>Accustomed</i>.21<i class="footnote">A. V., Taught.</i> Comp. לא למד unaccustomed, (Jer. 31:18)
  
  Verse 14
  
  הנני יוסיף <i>Behold I will proceed,</i> comp. ונשאר אני and I am left (Ez. 9:8); אמלל אני I am withering (Ps. 6:3); אמלל is the third person past, because of the Pathah under ל. Some explain יוסיף to be a participle like תומיך supporting22<i class="footnote">יוסיף is either the third person future of the Hiphil, and strangely joined with the pronoun of the first person, as in the other instances quoted by I.E., or participle Kal of יסף, formed like תּוׄמִי with Hirek instead of Zere in the second syllable.</i> (Ps. 16:5).
  להפליא את העם הזח הפלא ופלא <i>To be very embarrassing to this people</i>,23<i class="footnote">A. V., To do a marvellous work among this people.</i> that they shall not understand, that the wisdom of the wise shall be lost, etc. Others explain this phrase thus: To do a marvellous work among this people; comp. עשה פלא who performs wonders (Ex. 15:11). I explain it in the following way: To do to this people a wonderful thing like this.24<i class="footnote">That the wisdom of the wise shall be lost, etc.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  המעמיקים <i>That seek deep</i> in the depth of their hearts.
  להסתיר═לסתיר <i>To hide.</i> Comp. להשמיד═לשמיד to destroy (23:11)
  
  Verse 16
  
  הפככם You are going from the truth.25<i class="footnote">A. V., Your turning of things upside down.</i> 
  אם כחמר היוצר יחשב Shall man be esteemed as the potter’s clay.26<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay.</i>
  ויצר <i>And the thing framed</i>. It is derived from יצר to form. ליצרו <i>Of him that framed it.</i> Comp. לי of me (Gen. 20:13)
  
  Verse 17
  
  מעט <i>A little.</i> A little while, a few days. 
  <i>And Lebanon shall be turned</i>, etc. And the Lebanon, that yields more fruit than Karmel, will become like Karmel, and the latter like a forest; that is to say, they will have scanty food.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>And in that day shall the deaf hear</i>, etc. Then they will understand the words of the prophecy, and those blind men will not see, until they have already been in darkness.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>The meek also shall increase</i>, etc. The righteous will escape, when the fortified towns of Judah will be taken, and the judges of Ahaz will be no more, as I explained above (1:26).27<i class="footnote">See c. i. Note 48.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  אפס <i>Is brought to naught</i>. Comp. Gen. 47:15.
  שקדי <i>That watch</i>. Comp. לשקד to watch (Prov. 8:34)
  
  Verse 21
  
  מחטיאי אדם בדבר That make a man an offender for a word, that watch the words of man, and accuse him, in order to see him punished; or that cause others to sin by their words.
  יקושון <i>They lay a snare</i>. Comp. מוקש snare (Deut. 7:16). R. Moses Hakkohen explains יקושון they rebuke, comparing it with התקששו וקשו be rebuked and rebuke (Zeph. 2:1), and says that the ש ought to have a Dagesh.28<i class="footnote">In the commentary of I. E. on Zeph., R. Moses Hakkohen is quoted to explain התקששו וקשו by התקבצו come together; while the other explanation התווכחו והוכיחו be rebuked and rebuke is given anonymously, as if it were the opinion of I. E. himself.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>Who redeemed Abraham</i>, by taking him away from amongst the wicked.
  יחורו <i>Shall wax pale.</i> The root חור to be white is frequent in Chaldee.
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>For when he seeth his children</i>, etc. For when he sees his children, and the good which I shall do to the pious, they—he and his children—shall sanctify my name. 
  יעריצו They will cause others to fear the God of Israel, or they shall be afraid, intransitive.29<i class="footnote">פועל עומר is here used in the Hebrew text only to express that the verb is not causative, that it does not mean ייראו אחרים, they will cause others to fear. The expression פועל עומד comprehends more than the term intransitive, and signifies sometimes a transitive verb if contrasted with a causative transitive verb.</i> Having mentioned Jacob, the prophet says metaphorically, they will sanctify, etc. that is to say, if Jacob were alive and saw his pious children, and the wonders which God performed for their sake, he would join his children in sanctifying His name; for He was the holy one of Jacob.
  
  Verse 24
  
  ורגנים <i>And they that murmured</i>, comp. יתרגנו and you were murmuring (Deut. 1:27). They are the opposite of those that learn doctrine.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  הוי <i>Woe to</i>.1<i class="footnote">See c. i. Note 13.</i>
  ממני ═ מני <i>Of me.</i> (Comp. 22:4).
  ולנסוך מסכה <i>And that cover with a covering.</i> Comp. והמסכה and the covering (28:20). It is figuratively used for counsel.2<i class="footnote">There is no doubt that מסכה is parallel to עצה and has a similar meaning; but it appears to be a far-fetched explanation, to consider covering as a figure for counsel, simply because counsel is usually given secretly.</i> 
  ולא מרוחי ═ ולא רוחי <i>But not of my spirit,</i> that is, of my prophecy.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>That walk to go down,</i> etc. This verse explains the preceding.
  במעוז <i>In the strength of.</i> מ retains its vowel, although the word is in the construct state, because of the second and third letter of the root being the same.3<i class="footnote">Root עזז,—Nouns with a preformative מ, derived from verbs עיע and עיו are alike, <i>e.g.,</i> מָעוֹז strength, root מָקוֹם :עזז place, root קום; in the construct state, however, they differ; the former retains the Kamez under מ, the latter changes it into Sheva.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  והחסות <i>And the trust.</i> A noun; it is the contracted form of 4<i class="footnote">The י in חסיות is substituted for the third radical ה, of נלות ;חסה captivity (Obad. 20) is formed of נלה in a similar manner, with the entire omission of the third radical.</i>חסיות; comp. עבדות slavery (Ezr. 9:8)
  
  Verse 4
  
  שריו <i>His princes.</i> The princes of the people;5<i class="footnote">The substantive עם people, to which the pronominal suffix ־ָיו refers, is not mentioned before, but is implied in בנים סוררים (ver 1.)</i> they sent even their princes to Egypt, that the Egyptians might deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
  
  Verse 5
  
  כל הוביש═כל הבאיש. The א is superfluous; הבאיש is transitive, Every one blamed6<i class="footnote">A. V., They were all ashamed.</i> those that had gone to Egypt; for they went to a people that would not profit them.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The burden of the beasts of the south.</i> This refers to those that went down to Egypt. <i>South.</i> Egypt, which is in the south of Palestine. The prophet says that, on their way, those messengers would meet wild beasts, as bears, tigers, etc.; this is expressed in the words a lion, a leopard, amongst them an asp, etc.
  בארץ צרה <i>In a narrow land</i>,7<i class="footnote">A. V., Into the land of trouble and anguish.—I. E. takes צרה in a more literal sense, narrow; they will be pressed in, in such a way, that they will not be able to get out again.</i> whence they will not be able to escape. <i>They will carry,</i> etc. Those messengers will carry their property on the back of the mules, in order to bring it to Egypt into safety. חיליהם <i>Their property.</i> Comp. החיל the property (Deut. 8:17).
  דבשת <i>Bunches.</i> Hap. leg.—The beasts of the south will do them much damage.
  
  Verse 7
  
  לזאת <i>To this</i>.8<i class="footnote">A. V., Concerning this, that is, concerning Egypt.</i> To Jerusalem. רהב הם שבת <i>Their strength is to sit still.</i> He who remains in Jerusalem, and will not go down to Egypt, will be strong and safe.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Now go.</i> Now go with them; the prophet has hesitated to be together with them.
  חקה <i>Note it.</i> חקה is without Dagesh in ה; some copies have the Dagesh; it is the imperative instead of חוקקה or חוקקהּ or חוקקנה.9<i class="footnote">It is either the imperative with a paragogic ה, the contracted form of חוׄקקָה or with the pronominal suffix חוׄקְקֶנָּה ═ חוׄקְקָהּ ═ ־ָהּ.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  כחשים <i>Lying.</i> Adjective of the same form as אִבָּרִים husbandmen; the כ has Segol, on account of the guttural letter which follows. 
  שמוע Infinitive. To hear.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>See not.</i> You shall not prophesy.
  לראים <i>To the seers.</i> To those that see a divine vision.
  נכחות <i>Upright things.</i> Comp. טובים ונכוחים דבריך thy words are good and upright (2 Sam. 15:3). It is an adjective.10<i class="footnote">See c. iii. Note 5. I. E. does not explain why חלקות is a substantive (שם), and נבחות an adjective (שם התואר); perhaps because the verb דברו implies the masculine substantive, דברים words, with which the feminine חלקות, if taken as an adjective, would not agree.</i> 
  דברי חלקות ═ חלקות words of flattery; חלקות is a substantive; so also דברי מהתלות ═ מהתלות, words of mockery.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>Get you out of the way</i>, etc. These words are addressed by the people to the prophets. 
  <i>Cause the Holy One,</i> etc. Cause the mention or the name of the Holy One of Israel to cease, etc.11<i class="footnote">The Holy One himself cannot be caused to cease; Omnipresence is one of His essential attributes.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Ye despise this word</i>, the prophecy.
  בעושק <i>In oppression.</i> In the money wrongly taken from the nation.12<i class="footnote">The ו before בממון in the Hebrew text seems to be superfluous; בממון is not the explanation of נלוז, since this is explained by הפך הישר, the opposite of upright, but that of בעשק, and refers to the money taken from the people for the King of Assyria.</i>
  ונלוז <i>And a perverse thing</i>.13<i class="footnote">A. V., Perverseness.</i> נלוז is an adjective; supply דבר thing. Comp. תועבת ח׳ נלוז the perverse (man or thing)14<i class="footnote">A. V., The froward.</i> is an abomination to the Lord. נלוז is the opposite of ישר upright.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>Therefore</i>,15<i class="footnote">לכן, in the Hebrew original, is not part of the explanation, but the first word of the next verse, which is to be explained.</i> because you trust in the money, which you send to the King of Assyria, that he shall not come.16<i class="footnote">Comp. 2 Kings 18:15, 16.</i> <i>This iniquity shall be to you</i>, etc., that is, it will destroy you. 
  כפרץ מגדל נופל ═ נופל כפרץ <i>As a breach of a falling tower</i>.17<i class="footnote">A. V., As a breach ready to fall, swelling out.</i>17<i class="footnote">A. V., As a breach ready to fall, swelling out.</i> דבר נבעה ═ נבעה A swelling thing. Of the same root is אבעבועות blains (Exod. 9:9). נבעה can also be joined with פרץ: a swelling breach.
  לפתע פתאם <i>Suddenly at an instant.</i> The two words have nearly the same meaning; comp. אדמת עפר the dust of the earth (Dan. 12:12).18<i class="footnote">This construction, the combination of two similar nouns, the one in the genitive governed by the other, is met with more frequently than I. E. seems to suppose. It expresses a kind of superlative, <i>e. g.,</i> קדש הקדשים the most holy; so also לפתע פתאם most suddenly.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  נבל Vessel.
  <i>He shall not spare</i>, to break it.
  לחתות אש <i>To take fire.</i> Comp. יחתה אש he takes fire (Prov. 6:27). גחלים אתה חותה thou shalt heap coals of fire (ib. 25:22). במכתתו <i>In the bursting of it.</i> Derived from כתת, a verb ע׳ע.19<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has והוא מפעלי הכפל it is a verb ע״ע; but it is impossible to suppose, that I. E. meant to say, that לחתות is derived from התת, since he quotes as a parallel חותה, which can only be the participle Kal of חתה. Before והוא either כתות or במכתתו with some explanation is wanting. The commentary on the whole verse is rather deranged; the remark on לחשוף is interrupted by the explanation of גבא.</i>
  ולחשוף מים <i>And to take water.</i> Lit., to reveal the water, which is hidden. Comp. מחשוף to make appear (Gen. 30:37); חשף he made bare, (52:10).
  גבא <i>Pit.</i> Comp. וגבאיו and its pits. (Ez. 42:11), and גבא, the Chaldæan translation of בור (14:15). This prophecy refers to those that went down to Egypt for assistance.
  
  Verse 15
  
  בשובה <i>In rest</i>.20<i class="footnote">A. V., In returning, Return.—In his commentary on the Pentateuch I. E. mentions this explanation as the opinion of the grammarian R. Judah, who says, that שוב with an accusative, means to give rest, and that the neuter verb שוב to return is never used with an accusative.</i>20<i class="footnote">A. V., In returning, Return.—In his commentary on the Pentateuch I. E. mentions this explanation as the opinion of the grammarian R. Judah, who says, that שוב with an accusative, means to give rest, and that the neuter verb שוב to return is never used with an accusative.</i> Comp. שובה give rest (Num. 10:36). You will find salvation at home, and you need not go down to Egypt.
  
  Verse 16
  
  ננוס. According to the grammarian R. Jonah: we shall lift ourselves up; he compares it with נֵס banner (that is lifted up), and gives thus to ננוס a meaning similar to that of נרכב we will ride, as required by the parallelism. Others taking ננוס in its usual sense, we shall flee, explain the passage thus: You fled without cause, you will therefore be compelled to flee by your pursuers.
  קל <i>The swift</i>. An epithet of the horse, as is כר swift of the camel.21<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 16:1. and on Gen. 31:34.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  אלף <i>Thousand</i>. It is in the constr. st. אלף אחד The thousand men of one of you;22<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has סמוך אל אחר מהם, which is to be altered into סמוך ,אלף אחד מכם; because אל אחד would be quite superfluous, since there is no other noun that would be the genitive governed by אלף, and I. E., satisfying himself with סמוך or נסמך, leaves it generally to the reader to find the genitive referred to; מהם would refer to the enemies; but it is evident from the whole remark that the first אחד, which refers to the Israelites addressed by the prophet, is to be explained, not the second.</i> אחד signifies the officer. The meaning of the whole phrase is: An officer over a thousand men will flee at the threatening of one man. 
  <i>Shall ye flee,</i> shall all of you flee. 
  <i>Till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain,</i> etc., till a few out of many will be left. I think that the words as an ensign on a hill refer to those who remained in Jerusalem and did not go down to Egypt.23<i class="footnote">It seems as if I. E. meant to say, that the first figure as a beacon on the top of a mountain refers to their small number, the second figure as an ensign on a hill to their glory and happiness, by which they will attract all nations.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>Will the Lord wait.</i> An anthropomorphism.
  לחננכם <i>That He may be gracious unto you.</i> A verb ע״ע like לחמם to warm (47:14); it is the Kal like לשכב to lie (Gen. 34:7); all these forms, however, are irregular.24<i class="footnote">The Pathah or long Kamez (a) instead of the Holem or short Kamez (o) under the second radical in the infinitive Kal is probably the irregularity referred to by I. E.</i> <i>And therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you, for the Lord is a God of judgment,</i> 
  He will do judgment on Assyria for your sake.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>Thou shalt weep no more,</i> says the prophet to his people, for <i>he will be,</i> etc. God will be gracious unto thee. 
  לקול זעקך. The ל indicates the cause: At the voice of thy cry, that is, because thou hast cried unto Him. 
  עָנָ <i>He hath answered thee</i>. It is an irregular form; comp. פֵּאֲרָ He hath glorified thee (55:5).25<i class="footnote">The form is irregular by having  instead of ,</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  לחם צר <i>Scanty bread</i>.26<i class="footnote">A. V., The bread of adversity.</i> They were afflicted with famine, as I said before (29:17). מים לחץ <i>The water of affliction</i>. מים is not in the construct state, but מֵי the waters of is to be supplied. מים מי לחץ ═ מים לחץ; comp. שרה האהלה אהל ═ האהלה שרה to the tent, namely to the tent of Sarah. (Gen. 24:67)
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>And thine ears,</i> etc. Thou wilt see thy teachers before thee, and hear the words of thy prophets and instructers, that call after thee from behind. Some explain the words thine eyes shall see and thine ears shall hear to express figuratively the seeing and understanding of the heart. תאמינו ═ חימינו; א is substituted for י as is frequently done. 
  <i>When you turn to the right hand,</i> etc.: When you are about to depart from the right way, either to the right or to the left, you will hear distinctly the words of them that show the right way.
  
  Verse 22
  
  צפוי <i>The covering</i>. A noun.
  אפודת <i>The ornament of</i>. The ornamental covering over the image.—
  Thou shalt cast them away, for they can be of no use.27<i class="footnote">Comp. Deut. 13:18.</i>
  דוה <i>A menstruous woman</i>,28<i class="footnote">A. V., menstruous cloth.</i> that is unclean, and whom no clean person may touch.29<i class="footnote">The terms clean and unclean have the same meaning as defined in the Pentateuch by the laws concerning the clean and the unclean, especially Lev. 13:15.</i>
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Then shall he give,</i> etc., <i>that thou shalt sow</i>, after the death of the King of Assyria. 
  ככר ═ כר (Gen. 13:10), Plain;30<i class="footnote">A. V., Pastures.</i> comp. בבת עין═בת עין the apple of the eye (Lam. 12:18). <i>In that day shall thy cattle feed,</i> etc. Such will be the abundance of corn and fruit.31<i class="footnote">The cattle will feed on the wide plains, which are generally not used for pasture but for corn.</i>
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>The oxen and young asses that ear the ground</i>, that are employed in ploughing the fields. אלפים <i>Oxen.</i> Comp. אלפיך thine oxen (Deut. 7:13).
  בליל <i>Provender.</i> Comp. Job 6:5.
  חמיץ═חמץ Leaven.32<i class="footnote">A. V., Clean. According to I. E. provender which is leaven, that is, provender which is well prepared: there is a sufficient supply of it, and it can therefore be prepared in the best way. Comp. I. E., on חמוץ 1:17. Note 40.</i>
  אשד זרה <i>Which he winnows</i>.33<i class="footnote">A. V., Which hath been winnowed.</i> Supply אתי it.34<i class="footnote">I. E. supplies אתו, though not necessary, to indicate more clearly that זרה is participle active Kal, and not the past of Pual.</i>
  ברחת <i>With the shovel.</i> Derived from רוח wind. It is an instrument used for the same purpose as 35<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has ובמזרח and with the fan, which is either superfluous since it is not followed by any explanation, or it is to be altered into כמזרח like the fan, as is done in the translation.</i>מזרה the fan.
  
  Verse 25
  
  יבלי <i>Rivers.</i> Comp. יובל river (Jer. 17:8). <i>And there shall be upon every high mountain</i>, etc. The rain will come in such quantity, that the water will remain upon the mountains.36<i class="footnote">The hills and mountains are deprived of the water which they receive from the rain in a very short time; the water partly evaporating, partly flowing down to the plains. They retain of course the more of the water, the greater its supply is.</i> 
  <i>In the day of great slaughter</i>, etc. When people will die through the fall of37<i class="footnote">The rain will come in such quantity that the houses and towers will fall and bury under their ruins many people.</i> towers. It is a kind of consolation to learn, that when ten die, myriads are kept alive: for although the wall might fall upon the widow through the rain, the Lord will not keep it back from coming down and giving life to many; the rain has no knowledge that it should come down upon one place and not at the same time upon the neighbouring ones.
  
  Verse 26
  
  <i>Moreover the light of the moon,</i> etc. All commentators refer this verse to the Messianic period, to the time of the war of Gog and Magog;38<i class="footnote">See c. xxiv. Note 18.</i> only R. Moses Hakkohen is of opinion, that all this part of the book39<i class="footnote">c. xxiv.—xxxv.</i> refers to one and the same event.40<i class="footnote">To the invasion of Palestine by the Assyrians, and the ultimate destruction of the army of Sennacherib before Jerusalem.</i> We read <i>e. g.</i> in the next chapter (ver 1.): Woe unto them that go down to Egypt; the same we read above (ver. 2). 
  The meaning of this verse is, that the Lord will increase the light of the moon and sun after the rain in a wonderful way.41<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has וזה דבר פלא; lit.: and this is a wonderful thing; but since I. E. does not explain why it is a wonder that the sun shines brighter after the rain than before, it must be referred to the manner in which this prophecy will be fulfilled, especially to the intensity of the light, that it will be sevenfold, etc., and is to be translated, and this will be done in a wonderful way.</i> 
  <i>Sevenfold</i>, the prophet himself explains it, <i>as the light of seven days</i> taken together. 
  <i>In the day that the Lord bindeth up,</i> etc. When the Lord heals the wounds of Israel; it refers either to the time of the war of Gog or to the time of the Assyrian dominion.
  
  Verse 27
  
  <i>The name of the Lord,</i> the report of what He has done to the army of Assyria. 
  <i>From far.</i> From heaven; the angel that smote the Assyrians came down from heaven.
  משאה <i>Smoke</i>.42<i class="footnote">A. V., Heavy.</i> Comp. המשאת the smoke43<i class="footnote">A. V., The flame.</i> (Judg. 20:40); there are many words for smoke.44<i class="footnote">In the Hebrew text the word כמה many before שמות, or רבות many after it, is omitted.</i>
  
  Verse 28
  
  <i>And His breath</i>. The breath that comes out of His mouth; a figurative expression for the work of the angel.45<i class="footnote">This refers to the angel that destroyed the Assyrian army. Comp. 37:36.</i> 
  להנפה. Most of the commentaries say that להנפה is the same as להניף, to wave;46<i class="footnote">A. V., To sift with the sieve of vanity.</i>46<i class="footnote">A. V., To sift with the sieve of vanity.</i> but R. Moses Hakkohen is of opinion, that it means to bridle, and that by the breath of God, the false spirit, described by Micaiah (1 Kgs. 22:19—23) is to be understood; and this is the right explanation. <i>And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.</i> The bridle is put in the mouth of the horse, to make it go the right way, but the spirit mentioned here, will be רסן מתעה a misleading bridle. The same idea is expressed by ,בנפת שוא and this proves that להנפה has the meaning to bridle.
  
  Verse 29
  
  <i>To you,</i> to Judah. 
  <i>As in the night when a holy solemnity is kept</i>, In the night of the passover. Our sages said therefore, that the Assyrian army was destroyed on the Passover night.47<i class="footnote">See Targum Jonathan, and Rashi, ad locum: This rejoicing will come to you on the eve of Passover.</i>
  לבוא <i>To come.</i> To be joined with כהולך as when one goeth.48<i class="footnote">The infinitive לבוא could also be joined with the principal sentence in this way: Ye shall have a song, etc., when you come to the mountain, etc. Comp. Kimchi, ad locum.</i>
  
  Verse 30
  
  <i>And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard.</i> The people will be frightened, as they are when they hear the thunder.49<i class="footnote">This remark of I. E. seems to have been intended for the next verse.</i>
  ונחת <i>And the lighting down.</i> Comp. ותנחת and it cometh down (Ps. 38:3).
  <i>And shall show</i> to all people.
  בזעף <i>With the indignation.</i> The preposition ב governs also the nouns נפץ ,להב, etc.
  נפץ <i>With scattering.</i> Comp. תנפצם thou wilt scatter them (Ps. 2:9).
  <i>And hailstones</i>. A figurative expression.50<i class="footnote">This remark is made, probably because of the hailstones mentioned in Joshua 10:11., which in fact destroyed the army of the five kings marching against Gibeon, while in the destruction of the Assyrian army hailstones were not employed.</i>
  
  Verse 31
  
  בשבט יכה As if he were smitten with a rod or for the Lord will smite him with a rod.51<i class="footnote">A. V., Which smote with a rod.</i>
  
  Verse 32
  
  מוסדה <i>Grounded.</i> Participle Hophal; מטה is sometimes used as a feminine noun; comp. Mic. 6:9.—The following is the meaning of the whole verse: And in every place where this rod shall pass, and upon which the Lord shall lay his staff, it will be done. בתפים ובכנרות <i>with tabrets and harps;</i> the Lord will not be weary, but there will be a continual smiting by the angel, who shall rejoice as if he were playing with tabrets and harps.
  תנופה <i>Playing</i>.51a<i class="footnote">A. V., Shaking.</i> Lit., moving, sc. the hand to play with musical instruments.
  
  Verse 33
  
  מאהמוֹל═מאתמוּל <i>Of old.</i>
  תפתה <i>Tophet.</i> The name of a squalid place near Jerusalem, where all refuse was cast, and whence a continual smoke was rising.52<i class="footnote">Tophet is a place in the valley of Ben Hinnom near Jerusalem; Moloch had once been worshipped there, but when that idolatry was abolished it became the receptacle of all the refuse of the city, so that the use thus made of the place formed a striking contrast to the reverence with which it was previously regarded. The horror and disgust felt for this spot was so great that it was considered the greatest curse to be compelled to live in its neighbourhood, and thus it gave its name to the abode of the wicked after death (Gehinnom═hell). It was very probably the smoke rising from the ashes and refuse cast there, that suggested the idea of the eternal fire in hell.</i> The meaning of the sentence is: Tophet is prepared by the Lord for the King of Assyria. 
  גם הוא למלך הוכן. <i>Yea, for the king it is prepared.</i> For all his officers and princes have already perished. According to others the pronoun הוא refers to the King of Assyria.53<i class="footnote">The translation of the passage accordingly is, Yea, he is appointed King, sc. of Tophet.</i>
  מדרתה <i>The pile thereof.</i> Comp. מדורה fireplace (Ez. 24:9).
  <i>The breath of the Lord</i>, the breath that cometh out quickly; it expresses figuratively the immediate fulfilment of the divine decrees.54<i class="footnote">The breath of the Lord is according to I. E. the breath that cometh out of the mouth of the Lord; he therefore paraphrases it, in order to remove the anthropomorphism; but it can also be explained to signify the wind caused by the Lord.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  אוי ═ הוי Woe!1<i class="footnote">See c. i., Note 13.</i>—<i>Woe unto those that go down to Egypt,</i> that do not see the deliverance that is coming, and go thither in order to be saved, but will in fact perish there.
  ולא שעו <i>And they look not.</i> Lit. They do not resign themselves to the mercy of God.2<i class="footnote">שעה means literally to turn away (See I. E. on 17:7, and note 11); it is, therefore, usually followed by מן from; but by way of ellipsis, sometimes by אל, so that שעה מן ⋯ אל ═ שעה אל.</i> Comp. שעו מני turn away from me (22:4); to consider שענו ═ שעו is incorrect.3<i class="footnote">שעו is derived from שעה to turn; שענו from שען to lean.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>Yet he also is wise</i>, etc. God also knew their plans, and has brought evil upon them. 
  לא הסיר He hath not called back.4<i class="footnote">A.V., He will not call back.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And not a spirit</i>, that is, not an angel. Comp. ורוחו and His spirit═and His angel (48:16).5<i class="footnote">אֵל and רוּחַ are contrasted with אדם and בשר, the help from above with that of man, the deliverance to be caused by God with that expected from the support of Egypt; in the report of the deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian army, the angel is mentioned as the agent; therefore רוח is explained here by angel.</i> 
  <i>His hand.</i> The striking with His hand.
  <i>And they all together</i>, Egypt and those that fled thither. The King of Assyria attacked Egypt at the same time that Jerusalem was threatened by him.6<i class="footnote">The expedition of Sennacherib against Egypt was not successful; he besieged Pelusium, but was compelled to retire by Tirhaka, King of Æthiopia. See Geschichte Assure und Babels von Niebuhr, p. 174.</i>
  יכליון <i>They shall fail.</i> It is the full form, without dropping the third radical, like יחסיון they trust7<i class="footnote">Comp. 21:12.</i> (Ps. 36:8)
  
  Verse 4
  
  יהגה <i>He roareth.</i> It is the same in meaning as ישאג.
  יקרא עליו מלא רעים אשר <i>When all</i>8<i class="footnote">A. V., A multitude of.</i> <i>shepherds are called,</i> one by the other, to join in the fight against the lion. 
  מלא The full number, all of them, that not one shepherd shall fail to come.
  לא יענה <i>He will not abase himself.</i> Root ענה to be poor. Comp. עני poor (Deut. 24:12); לענות to be humble (Ex. 10:3); יענה shall be brought low (25:5).
  <i>So shall the Lord of hosts come down,</i> etc. The angel coming down to smite the Assyrian army is meant.
  
  Verse 5
  
  כצפרים <i>As birds</i>. This noun is feminine, although it has the plural termination ־ִים (comp. פילגשים concubines, signifying exclusively a female being, and still with the masculine termination); it is therefore followed by the feminine form עפות flying. 
  עפות is a participle. Comp. רצות ושבוּת running and returning (Ez. 1:14).9<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has רצות נשבות; this seems to be a corruption of רצות ושבות, (the reading of the Br. Mus. MS.); but this phrase is not found in the Bible; we must, therefore, either suggest another reading, perhaps נשמות ארצות, countries that are desolate, (Ez. 30:7), and explain the quotation as a proof of the correctness of the use of the participle as an adjective, or suppose that I. E. read רצות ושבות (Ez. 1:14), instead of רצוא ושוב of our editions.</i>
  יגן <i>He will cover</i>.10<i class="footnote">A.V., Will defend.—Root גנן to cover, to protect.</i> Comp. מגן shield (Gen. 15:1). As the birds cover with their wings their young ones, in order to protect them, so will the Lord, etc.
  וְהִצִּיל <i>And to deliver</i>.11<i class="footnote">A.V., He will deliver.</i> Although there is a Hirek under the ה, it is nevertheless infinitive.12<i class="footnote">The regular form is וְהַצֵּל. The same remark is to be applied to וְהִמְלִיט instead of וְהַמְלִיט</i>
  פסוח <i>To pass over</i>. Comp. ופסח and he will pass over (Ex. 12:23)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Turn ye unto him,</i> etc. The prophet, addressing Israel, says: Return, ye Israelites, to God, from whom you have deeply revolted. סרה is derived from סרר to revolt. Comp. סורר rebellious (Deut. 21:18)
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Your hands.</i> Your workmen.
  חטא <i>For a sin;</i> for a sin <i>κατ ἐξοχήν,</i> a sin that surpasses all others.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>With a sword, not of a mighty man</i>, but with the drawn sword of an angel. The sword is a figurative expression. 
  <i>And his young men</i> that will have escaped <i>shall be discomfited</i>, shall be overtaken on the ways in which they try to flee.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>And he shall pass by his stronghold,</i> etc.13<i class="footnote">A. V., And he shall pass over to his stronghold.</i> He will go beyond his stronghold at the border of his kingdom, for his great fear; he will flee, and not rely on his strongholds. <i>And his princes</i>, etc. His princes that will have escaped, or will remain in the land, will be afraid of every ensign which they will see. 
  <i>Fire, furnace</i>. By these names the altar in Jerusalem is meant; or they are used figuratively,14<i class="footnote">Signifying the approaching divine punishment.</i> like And the flame of consuming fire (29:6).15<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E., ad locum.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Behold a king shall reign</i>, etc. This refers to Hezekiah and his princes, the firm establishment of whose government is promised.
  ולשרים <i>And princes</i>. The ל has no meaning as far as I know. Comp. לאבשלום (1 Chr. 3:2), למן (Ex. 9:18).1<i class="footnote">Comp. Sepher Harikmah, 100:6: ל is used sometimes to indicate the subject; <i>e.g.,</i> Is. 31:1; 1 Sam. 15:22; Deut. 24:5; 1 Chr. 29:6; Ezr. 1:5; Gen. 1:15; or the predicate, <i>e.g.,</i> 1 Chr. 1:13; 21:12; 2 Chr. 3:12; 5:12; Jer. 30:12, 15.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  והיה איש <i>And a man shall be.</i> Either every one of the officers of Hezekiah, or Hezekiah himself is meant.
  מחבא <i>Hiding place.</i> Participle Hiphil.
  בציון <i>In a dry place</i>. Comp. ציה dry (41:18).
  עיפה <i>Thirsty</i>.2<i class="footnote">A.V., Weary; but Ps. 143:6, Thirsty.</i> Comp. Ps. cxliii.—
  The verse may also be explained thus:3<i class="footnote">או or, ויתכן it may be explained, or a similar phrase, introducing a new explanation, is omitted in the Hebrew text before והיה איש. As the continuation of the first or second explanation, this remark would certainly be superfluous, and a mere tautology.</i> And Judah shall be like one who sitteth in a hiding-place from the wind, etc.
  
  Verse 3
  
  תשעינה <i>Shall be dim.</i> Root שעע. Comp. השע Shut4<i class="footnote">Lit., cause to be dim.</i> (6:10)
  
  Verse 4
  
  נמהרים <i>The rash.</i> Hasty in a foolish way. It is derived from מהר to be hasty.
  עלגים <i>The stammerers</i>. Hap. leg.; in Arabic it means slaves.5<i class="footnote">عِلْجٌ Barbarous; Freytag, Lex. Arab.</i> It is contrasted with to speak plainly (דבר צחות).
  צחות <i>Pure words.</i> Supply מלות words; for צחות is an adj., in form and meaning like זכות.6<i class="footnote">The singular of these adjectives is זך and צח pure, of the root זכך and צחח.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  נבל <i>The vile person.</i> Comp. נובלת fading7<i class="footnote">The oak is said to be fading, on account of its losing its foliage and remaining without fruit and leafless; so נבל the vile person, is without good actions, yielding no benefit to his fellow-men.</i> (1:30). 
  כילי The opposite of שוע. שוע <i>Bountiful.</i> A noble person, whose hands are loose, ready to give, and not closed. Comp. ושוע and turning.8<i class="footnote">This quotation is to prove that the two roots שוע and שעה are equivalent in meaning: to loosen, to be or to make ready, to move forward, to turn, to look, to trust. שוע is therefore explained by I. E. to be a person whose hands are loose or open, ready to give whenever opportunity is offered.—Rashi likewise derives שוע from שעה ═ שוע to turn, but in a more simple and natural way; a man to whom the eyes of the people are turned for assistance.</i> Adopting a sort of homiletic explanation, כילי may be said to be composed of two words, כי לי for it belongs to me; for he says, שלי שלי what is mine shall remain mine9<i class="footnote">This is there declared to be מדת סדום the principle of the Sodomites.</i> (Aboth 5:13)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>For the vile person,</i> etc. This refers to the officers of Ahaz.
  תועה <i>Error.</i> It is a noun; the forms of nouns are manifold.10<i class="footnote">There is hardly any occasion for this remark. We find, except תעתועים errors (Jer. 10:5), no other noun of this root in the Bible; in the post-biblical literature, however, we meet with טעות and תעות error.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>The instruments also</i>, etc. The instruments of justice; for the officers were judges, whose principle was to arrest judgment.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>But the liberal.</i> Hezekiah and his officers, of whom it was said, And princes shall rule in judgment.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Ye daughters.</i> According to some the towns, which are like the daughters of the metropolis Samaria.
  
  Verse 10
  
  שנה על שנה ═ ימים על שנה. Year after year.
  רגזה11<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to have read רגזה (as in the next verse), instead of תרגזנה; for רגזה is mentioned again by him, and instead of commenting on it, he refers to the explanation given before; it is therefore impossible to suggest that this remark on רגזה has been dislocated from its proper place by the carelessness of some copyist.</i>=רגזנה <i>Be troubled.</i> The opinion of the Nagid12<i class="footnote">R. Samuel, the Prince, several times mentioned by I. E. See Introd. to Moznaim, and Zahoth, On the secondary conjugations.</i> is, that רגזה is imperative, referring to the feminine בטחות, although it has a masculine termination; according to R. Moses Hakkohen it is infinitive. 
  <i>The gathering</i> of the increase <i>shall not come</i>. Repetition of the same idea.13<i class="footnote">As contained in the words, the vintage shall fail.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  חרדו <i>Tremble.</i> Imperative masculine. Comp. תעירו ye stir (Song 2:7); תמצאו ye find (Ib. 5:8). It may be considered as an elliptical expression.14<i class="footnote">The use of the imperative plural masculine instead of the feminine is called by I. E. דרך קצרה ellipsis, since the feminine requires the addition of two letters נָה the masculine only וּ; but the use of the termination ־ִים instead of the feminine וֹת (next verse), is explained by supplying the word כׂל all, which is masculine singular in form, but plural in meaning.</i> 
  רגזה I have explained this word already. פשוטה וערה <i>Strip you and make you bare.</i> These words are to be explained in the same way.15<i class="footnote">As רגזה has been explained, namely as imperatives or infinitives.</i> וערה <i>And make you bare.</i> Comp. עריה naked (Ez. 16:7). עריה תעור Thy bow will be made quite naked (Hab. 3:9). I think that women, daughters (ver. 9), are to be taken literally.
  
  Verse 12
  
  סופדים <i>They shall lament.</i> כל all is to be supplied.14<i class="footnote">The use of the imperative plural masculine instead of the feminine is called by I. E. דרך קצרה ellipsis, since the feminine requires the addition of two letters נָה the masculine only וּ; but the use of the termination ־ִים instead of the feminine וֹת (next verse), is explained by supplying the word כׂל all, which is masculine singular in form, but plural in meaning.</i> Comp. וכל הנשים יתנו and all women shall give. (Est. 1:20)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>My people.</i> The people of Samaria.
  קוץ שמיר <i>Thorns, briers.</i> Asyndeton. Comp. אדם שת אנוש (1 Chr. 1:1). 
  <i>Yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.</i> Supply thorns shall come up.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>The palace</i> of the king. נטש, <i>shall be forsaken</i>; עזב, <i>shall be left.</i> Pual.16<i class="footnote">Instead of מהבנין הקל שלא וגו׳ is to be read נֻטָּשׁ .מהבנין הכבד שׁלא וגו׳ and עֻזָּב are participles of the Pual, the prefix מ having been dropped. See Zahoth, On the secondary conjugations (בנינים הנלקחים מאחרים). I. E. rejects the opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen, who says that forms like לֻקַּח are sometimes derived from the Kal, namely, when the Piel of that verb is not found in Scripture.</i> 
  עופל An elevated place.17<i class="footnote">A. V., The forts.</i> Comp. ויעפילו and they ascended.18<i class="footnote">A. V. They presumed.</i>
  ובחן <i>And tower.</i> Comp. בחוניו his towers. (23:13). היו מערות═ היה בעד מערות shall become dens.
  
  Verse 15
  
  יערה <i>Be poured.</i> Niphal. עד יערה עלינו רוח Until the decreed evil, the approach of the King of Assyria to the land of Judah, be poured upon us. רוח signifies here the divine decree. 
  <i>And the plain</i>19<i class="footnote">A. V., Wilderness.—According to I. E., מדבר signifies here a plain, used for a corn-field; in the similar phrase (29:17), it is replaced by Lebanon, which is said to be more fruitful than Karmel, in the same measure as Karmel is superior to the forest (יער). The original meaning of מדבר is in fact pasture, whither the flock is driven (דבר to drive). See Gesen. Lex. Hebr.</i>, that is cultivated, will be <i>like Karmel</i>,20<i class="footnote">A. V., Fruitful field.</i> <i>and Karmel,</i> etc. Comp. 29:17
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Then judgment shall dwell</i>, etc. God will punish those that forsake him.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>And the work of righteousness shall be peace,</i> as in the time of Hezekiah. Comp. And peace without end (9:6)21<i class="footnote">The passage quoted refers, according to I. E., to King Hezekiah; according to others, to Messiah.</i> Some explain ver. 15 sqq. as a blessing.22<i class="footnote">Comp. Targum Jonathan ad locum.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>My people.</i> Judah.
  
  Verse 19
  
  וברד <i>When it shall hail.</i> The Pathah under ר proves that the word is a verb; comp. עשן it smoked (Ex. 19:18). <i>When it shall hail, coming down on the forest.</i> When the hailstones will come down, they will come down on the forest, not on the fields. 
  <i>The city shall be low</i>, shall be like a wide plain without walls23<i class="footnote">In time of war the people used to retire to the mountains, where they lived in forts and fortresses, and were thus enabled to resist the attack of the invading army; but as soon as the danger was over the people scattered again over the valleys and plains, to live in villages and open towns, where they could with greater ease devote themselves to their usual pursuits.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Beside all waters</i>, that shall come24<i class="footnote">Beside the water, that is, after the rain, that will cause the seed to grow and to prosper.</i>. 
  <i>That send forth the feet of the ox and the ass.</i> Comp. 30:24; all these chapters from xxiv.—xxxvi. form one continuous prophecy.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  הוי <i>Ho!</i>1<i class="footnote">See c. i., note 13.</i> Interjection of calling. The prophet addresses Assyria. 
  כהתמך שודד when thou shalt have finished spoiling.
  כהנלותך ═ כנלותך <i>When thou shalt have finished</i>.2<i class="footnote">A. V., When thou shalt cease to spoil. When thou shalt make an end.</i> Of the same root is מנלם the perfection thereof (Job. 15:29)
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>O Lord</i>, etc. This was to be the prayer of the righteous at the time of the invasion of the Assyrian king; the prayer is given here as a prophecy. 
  <i>Their arm</i>. The arm of the soldiers.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>The tumult</i> of Assyria.
  מרממתך <i>By Thy honour</i>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., At the lifting up of thyself.</i> The honour which Thou hast given him.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Your spoil</i>. Those of you that have become a spoil of the nations; the possessive pronoun your refers to the Israelites, of whom the king of Assyria carried a part away into captivity.4<i class="footnote">The possessive pronoun your has here the same meaning as the partitive genitive.</i>
  גבים <i>Locusts</i>. Comp. גובא in Chaldee, meaning the same as ארבה locusts in Hebrew.
  שוקק <i>Gathering</i>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall he run. They shall jostle.</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall he run. They shall jostle.</i> Some think that משק the steward (Gen. 15:2) is of the same root. I compare it rather with ישתקשקון they gather themselves (Nah. 2:5), which expression is likewise used of locusts.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>The Lord</i>, etc. The divine glory, that revealeth itself in Zion.6<i class="footnote">This remark is introduced to explain the anthropomorphism, because in reality the Lord cannot be exalted.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Thy times.</i> The pronoun refers to Judah.
  חכמת <i>The wisdom of.</i> Some noun must be supplied.7<i class="footnote">The form חָכְמַת instead of חָכְמָה is perhaps caused by a kind of attraction of the similar form דַעַת which is often used in the absolute state.</i> 
  <i>His treasure</i>. The treasure of strength of salvation.
  
  Verse 7
  
  אראלם According to some their altar; comp. אריאל (29:1); if this were correct, we should have to supply על for, but this explanation is not in accord with the whole context of the chapter. Others say, that אראה להם ═ אראלם I shall see them; this is not probable. I think that it means their messenger, as we may infer from the ambassadors of peace in the second half of the verse. Comp. 2 Sam. 23:20.8<i class="footnote">This proof, based upon 2) אריאל Sam. 23:20), is not convincing, since the plural would be required, if it were, as I. E. believes, a common noun, meaning messenger.</i>—All the messengers of the nations, that are desirous of peace, will weep when Assyria has dominion.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>The highways lie waste.</i> For the king of Assyria will not be faithful to his treaties with other nations.
  <i>He regardeth no man</i>. He does not esteem any person to be worth anything in comparison with himself.
  
  Verse 9
  
  אבל אמללה ארץ <i>The earth mourneth and languisheth.</i> ארץ is sometimes used as a masculine noun; comp. 9:18. This phrase9<i class="footnote">אבל אמללה ארץ both אבל as well as אמללה are predicates to ארץ; nevertheless the first is masculine, the second feminine.</i> overthrows the rule laid down by R. Moses Hakkohen (Job 20:26), that words which can be used both as masculine and feminine nouns, cannot be joined with a feminine attribute, after having been joined with a masculine one in the same phrase. 
  החפיר לבנון10<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has לשון; this gives no sense, and is evidently a corruption of לבנון.</i> He—the king of Assyria—put the Lebanon to shame.11<i class="footnote">A. V., "Lebanon is ashamed."</i> החפיר is transitive. קמל Till it was hewn down.
  השרון <i>Sharon.</i> Comp. Song 2:1.
  ונער בשן וכרמל <i>And Bashan and Karmel shake off.</i> Comp. נעור shaken (Neh. 5:13)
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Now,</i> that he has already destroyed too much, <i>will I rise.</i> 
  אתרומם═ ארומם <i>will I be exalted.</i> It is Hithpael; the ר should have a Dagesh12<i class="footnote">The ר being subject to the same rule as the gutturals, with regard to the Dagesh, its reduplication is replaced by the change of the short vowel (Segol) into a long one (Zere).</i> to compensate for the omission of the ת, as the נ of אֶנָּשֵׂא has.13<i class="footnote">To compensate for the omission of the אֶנְנָשֵׂא ═ אֶנָּשֵׂא ;נ.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>Ye shall conceive</i>. Assyria is addressed.
  חשש <i>Chaff.</i> The word has the same meaning in Arabic.
  רוחכם אש תאכלכם According to some: Your breath, as fire, shall devour you. It is more correctly considered as the continuation of the preceding figure of the chaff and stubble: Your wind, will not lift you up,14<i class="footnote">The wind, which will blow for you, will not raise you, as it raises chaff and stubble.</i> but, like fire, utterly destroy you.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>As the burnings of lime.</i> As if they were burnt by lime.—This refers to the sudden destruction of the Assyrian army through the angel, as is the case with the next simile as thorns cut off, which are burnt15<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall they be burnt.</i> in the fire.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>Ye, that are near</i>. The Israelites are addressed, as may be inferred from the next verse, The sinners <i>in Zion</i> etc.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>The sinners in Zion are afraid</i>. They will be afraid of the Lord, when they see His power displayed in the destruction of the Assyrian army; then will they say: <i>Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire,</i> with the Lord, who is like the devouring fire, that is, in Zion, where the divine glory manifests itself. The prophet replies.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>He that walketh</i>, etc. בצדקות ═ צדקות In righteousness.
  אוטם <i>That stoppeth</i>. Comp. יאטם that stoppeth (Ps. 58:5); although the two words are of two different conjugations.16<i class="footnote">עוצם is Kal, ויעצם Piel of אוטם ;עצם Kal, יאטם Hiphil of אטם.</i>16<i class="footnote">עוצם is Kal, ויעצם Piel of אוטם ;עצם Kal, יאטם Hiphil of אטם.</i>
  ועוצם <i>And shutteth.</i> Comp. ויעצם and he shut, though not of the same conjugation.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>He,</i> who does all this, 
  <i>shall dwell on high</i>, etc., shall dwell in Zion in safety, as if he dwelt, etc.
  לחמו נתן <i>His bread,</i> bread, sufficient for his sustenance, <i>shall be given him.</i>
  נאמנים <i>Sure.</i> Lit. faithful. The water will not deceive his hope, will not fail. He will dwell in peace and be satisfied.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Thine eyes shall see the king,</i> etc. The prophet brings these words back to the memory of Judah;17<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words אלה דברי הנביא כאומר יזכור יהודה lit., These are the words of the prophet, as if he said, that Judah should remember. The remark of I. E. on ver. 15 begins likewise with the phrase אלה דברי הנביא these are the words of the prophet. This introduction is there an essential part of the explanation, since part of the preceding verse was assigned to the people; but this verse does not require an introduction of this kind. A comparison of this remark with ידבר בנפשו (ver. 18) leads to the suggestion, that instead of הנביא another word, signifying the messenger, or the officer, is to be read, as, <i>e.g.,</i> הסופר the secretary, that wrote down how much each had to contribute, and who was to carry the tribute to the king of Assyria; comp. ver. 18 and 22. The words of this verse were, as distinctly stated by I. E., addressed to Judah by the Assyrian officers. when the messengers of the king of Assyria came for the tribute, and Hezekiah, after having delivered up all the treasures of the temple, imposed besides a tax on Judah for that purpose, they said, who of the princes of Hezekiah will come with us, to bring this tribute to the king of Assyria? thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty; they shall behold the land that is far off, the land of Assyria, that is far from Jerusalem.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>Thine heart shall meditate,</i> etc. These are the prophet’s own words.18<i class="footnote">The words ידבר בנפשו he speaks his own words, are contrasted with the introductory phrase of the preceding remark, These are the words of the Assyrian officer, which the prophet brings back to the memory of Judah.</i>
  סופר <i>The scribe</i> who writes down, how much every one shall contribute.
  סופר <i>He that counted.</i> Comp. מספר the number, <i>He that counted the towers.</i> They taxed even the towers.
  
  Verse 19
  
  נועז We cannot say, whether the נ is radical, or the characteristic prefix of the Niphal; the word is hap. leg.; it means a stranger or a strange man; to consider לועז═נועז speaking a foreign language, is incorrect.
  נלעג לשון <i>Mocked for his tongue.</i>19<i class="footnote">A. V., Of a stammering tongue.</i> People usually laugh at a language, which they cannot understand.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Look upon Zion,</i> etc. We need not look at the king of Assyria, we should rather look at Zion. 
  מועדנו It has here its usual meaning: our solemnities or our sanctuary; comp. מעדי אל The synagogues of God (Ps. 74:8).
  כאהל═אהל As a tent.20<i class="footnote">A. V., A tabernacle.</i> 
  יצען Hap. leg. It means, shall fall.21<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall be taken down.</i> 
  יתדותיו ובל יסע Not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed.22<i class="footnote">The combination of the singular יסע and the plural יתדותיו is explained in this remark, by considering יתד מיתדותיו ═ יתדותיו. See c. ii., note 18.</i> חבליו The cords thereof.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>But there</i>, etc. This tent shall not be removed, but God will be there unto us as a stronghold, like a place surrounded by rivers.
  נהרים יארים <i>Rivers, streams.</i> Asyndeton; comp. שמש ירח sun, moon (Hab. 3:11). 
  ידים Space.23<i class="footnote">רחבי ידים Wide of space, that is, spacious, or broad.</i> <i>A place of broad rivers</i>.24<i class="footnote">I. E. explains why the plural rivers is used here.</i> A place surrounded on all sides by rivers, בל תלך בו וגו׳ <i>wherein shall go no,</i> etc.25<i class="footnote">The incongruity of the singular בו with the plural יארים, to which it refers, is explained in the usual way. See c. ii., note 18.</i> None of the rivers will be passed by any ships with oars; the people will have no cause for fear, either from the sea or from the continent. Thus this verse contrasts with the words Thine heart meditates terror (ver. 18)
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>For the Lord is our judge,</i> etc. There will be no judge to say to this person and that pay so and so much for the tribute, nor will any scribe write down, who shall go to the king with the tribute; for the Lord alone will be our judge, our scribe,26<i class="footnote">A. V., Lawgiver.</i> and our king.
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Thy tacklings.</i> The Assyrian army is adressed.
  נטשו <i>Are loosed.</i> Comp. ונמשתה thou shalt let it lie still27<i class="footnote">Lit., And thou shalt let loose of it; that is, thou shalt not take hold of it, to till it, and to do the usual work therein.</i> (Ex. 23:11). The meaning of this figure is: the ship will go down, and her riches will then be thrown out again by the sea. 
  תרנם וגו׳ בל יחזקו כן They, that is, the sailors, cannot strengthen their mast, nor spread the sail.28<i class="footnote">A. V., They could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail.</i> עד שלל <i>The prey of a spoil.</i> Comp. אדמת עפר the dust of the earth (Dan. 12:2).29<i class="footnote">See c. xxx., note 18.</i> עד <i>Spoil.</i> Comp. Gen. 49:27. 
  הרבה ═ מרבה Great. <i>The lame shall take prey</i>. How much more the others.
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>And the inhabitant</i> of Zion <i>shall not say</i> again, <i>I am sick;</i> for all the people <i>shall</i> be forgiven their iniquity.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ומלאה <i>And its fulness</i>;1<i class="footnote">A. V., And all that is therein.</i> that is, those beings of which it is full. 
  תבל The inhabited part of the earth.2<i class="footnote">A. V., The world. According to I. E., ארץ is the whole earth; תבל the inhabited part of it.</i> 
  צאצאיה The things that come out of it. It is derived from יצא to go out.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>For the indignation</i>, etc. All commentators refer this prophecy to the Messianic period, except R. Moses Hakkohen, who says, that Edom was destroyed in the time of the invasion by the Assyrians, and that all these chapters (xxiv—xxxiv) are connected with each other.3<i class="footnote">Although it is not distinctly mentioned, it may be fairly supposed that Edom was conquered by the Assyrians at the same time when Syria and all the neighbouring countries were occupied by the armies of Assyria.—Edom was conquered and united with Judæa by John Hyrcanus, 129 B.C.</i> 
  צבאם Their armies.
  
  Verse 3
  
  באשם <i>Their stink</i>. It is a noun derived from באש after the form of קׂדֶשׁ holiness.
  ונמסו <i>And shall be melted.</i> Niphal of מסס to melt.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And all the host of heaven,</i> etc. When the fatal day approaches to man, the sun darkens to him, as it is said in the description of the approaching death (Koh. 12:2). I think, that by these words the support is to be understood which each nation receives from its representative above; comp. Dan. 10:20.4<i class="footnote">This is a part of the Kabbalistic theory, which is, in some respects, the development of the Neo-Platonic philosophy; it gives to the material world below its image, its abstract form, above, and attributes to these heavenly images real life and the power to govern the world below. Those images, or ideas, are called angels, or the princes above, or by similar names.</i>
  ונמקו <i>And shall be dissolved</i>. Niphal of מקק to dissolve. ונגלו <i>And shall be rolled together.</i> Niphal of גלל to roll; comp. מגלה roll (Jer. 36:28)
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>For my sword</i>, etc. This verse confirms my remark concerning the heavenly decrees.5<i class="footnote">That the divine decrees (גזרות) are identical with the first steps taken towards the realisation of the will of the Almighty. It is first carried out above upon the heavenly ideals of the earthly objects, and then below on earth. Comp. I. E. on 9:7, 16:13, and Dan. 10:24.</i>
  עם חרמי <i>The people of my doom</i>.6<i class="footnote">Upon the people of my curse.</i> The people which I desire to see doomed to punishment.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The sword of the Lord.</i> The divine decree.
  הודשנה <i>Is made fat.</i> Many think it is a form composed of the Hophal and Hithpael,7<i class="footnote">The Hophal of רשן is הֻדְשְׁנָה, the Niphal is נִדְשְׁנָה; a compound of both could hardly produce the form הֻדַּשְׁנָה, as we might infer from the Hebrew text: מורכבת מבנין שלא נקרא שם פועלו ומבנין נפעל a compound of Hophal and Niphal. Instead of נפעל we must read התפעל; for the Hithp. of דשן is הִדַּשְּׁנָה ═ הִתְדַּשְּׁנָה, the Hophal הָדְשְׁנָה and the form הֻדַּשְׁנָה may well be considered as a compound of these two, the Dagesh in ד and the Pathah under it being the traces left of the Hithp., the remainder being the characteristics of the Hophal.</i> but wrongly;8<i class="footnote">I. E. in Zahoth, On the compound forms, seems to include in this term only such words as can easily be divided into two parts, the one containing properties of the one. form, the other of the second; הֻדַּשְׁנָה which begins and ends with the regular form of the Hophal, is, on account of the irregularity of the middle syllable, called by I. E. an irregular form of the Hophal.</i> it is an irregular form; it is derived from דשן to be fat; comp. דשן fat (30:23).
  כרים <i>Lambs</i>. Comp. Deut. 32:14. — The nobles are figuratively called lambs; comp. אילי מואב the chiefs9<i class="footnote">Lit.: the rams.</i> of Moab. 
  <i>Bozrah.</i> According to some it is the name of the town now called Constantinople; this is impossible, because since the foundation of that town, there have not yet elapsed a thousand years;10<i class="footnote">Constantinople was built in 330, on the site of Byzantium, which was founded about 660 B.C., long after the death of Isaiah.</i> Bozrah is a province in Edom.11<i class="footnote">Rashi quotes a passage from the Pesikta, in which it is stated, that Bozrah belonged to Moab, but shared the fate of Edom. Comp. Jer. 48:24. Very probably there were several places of the name Bozrah; since בצרה is originally an appellative, signifying stronghold or castle; there was one Bozrah in Edom, another in Moab.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>With them</i>, with the lambs and goats; by the unicorns and bullocks the kings of Edom are meant.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance</i>, etc. This verse shows that the prophecy refers to the Messianic period;12<i class="footnote">It is not clear, how the words of this verse prove its reference to the Messianic period; the inference is perhaps drawn from the circumstance, that no hostilities of the Edomites against the Israelites, which should call for vengeance and recompences, are reported in scripture in describing the reign of Hezekiah.</i> some believe, that it was fulfilled already in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, after the conquest of Zion; comp. The cup will be passed also to thee (Lam. 4:21).13<i class="footnote">This passage contains only a hope or prayer, and permits no inference as to the time when that hope was realised. It is, however, very probable, that Edom was occupied by the Babylonians in their expeditions against Syria and Egypt, as it had been previously by the Assyrians.</i> 
  <i>The year of recompences.</i> Comp. Thy reward shall return over thine own head (Obad. 15); these words refer likewise to Edom.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>And the streams thereof</i>, etc. This really happened or will happen14<i class="footnote">If this prophecy refers to the time of Hezekiah, as R. Moses Hakkohen asserts, or to the time of Nebuchadnezzar, as others believe, then it has been fulfilled already; if to the Messianic period, as I. E. seems to assume, it is yet to be fulfilled.</i> in a miraculous way, as some believe; others are of opinion that this verse is to be taken figuratively: None will remain there to drink the water, as if it were changed to pitch.
  בוערה <i>Burning</i>. This word shows that the ת of זפת is the feminine termination.15<i class="footnote">זפת is derived from זוף, which, however, is not found in any other form in the Bible.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>It shall not be quenched.</i> The fire thereof shall not be quenched.
  לנצח נצחים <i>For ever and ever</i>. For periods without end.
  
  Verse 11
  
  קפוד <i>Hedgehog</i>.16<i class="footnote">A. V., Bittern.</i> Well known;17<i class="footnote">It seems as if I. E. used the word well-known when he was at a loss to substitute another word for it. He derives the word קפוד from קפד to fold or to roll together because of its peculiar habit of rolling itself into a ball. See I. E. on 14:23.</i> the root of this word is met with in קפדתי I have rolled together (38:12).18<i class="footnote">In his remark on 38:12, I. E. explains קפדתי by כפלתי I folded together.</i> 
  <i>And he shall stretch upon it,</i> etc. Lime and stones are materials used by the builder. 
  תהו, בהו <i>Emptiness, confusion</i>. These words are similar in meaning to שממה desolation.
  
  Verse 12
  
  חוריה <i>The nobles thereof.</i> They are compared with the white colour; the people of the lower class are called the black (Prov. 22:29).
  יקראו <i>They shall be called</i>.19<i class="footnote">Comp. Chapter ii. Note 5.</i> Lit., They—the people—will call them. למלוכה ═ מלוכה to the kingdom. 
  אפס Nothing.
  
  Verse 13
  
  ארמנותיה <i>Over her palaces</i>.20<i class="footnote">A. V., In her palaces.</i> The preposition על is to be supplied. ועלתה סירים <i>And thorns shall come up.</i> Lit., And each of the thorns shall come up.21<i class="footnote">Comp. Chapter ii. Note 18.</i> סירים <i>Thorns.</i> Comp. Koh. 7:6. קמוש The same.
  תנים <i>Dragons.</i> Comp. Job 30:29.
  חצר ═ חציר <i>A court.</i> Comp. יָשֵׂשׂ (2 Chr. 36:17) ═ יָשִׂישׂ (Job 15:10), old. It can also be taken in its usual meaning: grass.22<i class="footnote">Comp. Ps. 104:14; Job. 8:12, etc.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  ציים <i>The wild beasts of the desert.</i>
  איים <i>Kites.</i>23<i class="footnote">A. V., The wild beasts of the islands.</i> It is the plural of אַיָה (Lev. 11:14), although it has the masculine termination .ים.
  שעירים An animal, similar to the wild goat.24<i class="footnote">A. V., Satyr.</i> 
  הרגיעה Shall rest.
  לילית <i>The screech owl</i>. A bird that flies abroad by night.
  
  Verse 15
  
  קפוז <i>The great owl.</i> It is not the same as 25<i class="footnote">I. E. frequently states, that he objects to the assumption of an interchange of letters others than א ה ו י. Rashi is of opinion that קפוז and קפד are the same.</i>;קפוד it is some other bird.26<i class="footnote">Other bird is not quite correct; for קפוד is explained by I. E. to signify the hedgehog; the word other is perhaps used with regard to the birds mentioned ver. 11, and in this same verse (15).</i>
  ותמלט <i>And lay.</i> Comp. והמליטה זכר and she was delivered of a man-child (66:7).
  ובקעה <i>And break</i>.27<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall hatch.</i> It is the nature of this bird to break its eggs.
  ודגרה <i>And gather</i>. Comp. דגר he gathereth28<i class="footnote">A. V., Sitteth on eggs.</i> (Jer. 17:11).
  דיות <i>Vultures.</i> It is the plural of דַיָה (Deut. 14:13)
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read: none of these shall fail</i>, etc. None of the divine decrees, which are written down with the finger of God, shall fail; all of them will be fulfilled in Edom. Or: None of those, for which Edom is said (ver. 13, 14) to become the habitation, shall fail. 
  <i>My mouth.</i> The decrees that come from the mouth of the Lord.
  ורוחו <i>And its breath</i>,29<i class="footnote">A. V. And his spirit.</i> that is, the breath of His mouth. It is a repetition of the same idea.
  
  Verse 17
  
  חלקתה <i>Hath divided it.</i> Both subject and object are feminine.
  בקו <i>By line</i>. With the line of truth.30<i class="footnote">This remark of I. E. is probably based upon the occurrence of the definite article in בַּקָּו, lit., by the line.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  יששום. Some think that the preposition ב is omitted, and that יששו בם ═ יששום they shall be glad for them: this is not right; for what would be the meaning of 1<i class="footnote">The cause of the objection is the absence of any noun to which the pronoun them could refer.</i>בם? I think that מ is here substituted for the paragogic נ, which is frequently found in verbs. Comp. 2<i class="footnote">As to the interchange between מ and נ.</i>פדיון ═ פִּדְיוֹם redemption (Num. 3:19).—The land of Edom alone shall be waste; but Palestine shall be the reverse. According to R. Moses Hakkohen this prophecy refers to the deliverance of Jerusalem.3<i class="footnote">The difference between the two opinions is, that according to the first, this chapter describes the state of Israel in the time of Messiah; according to the second, the peace and happiness of Judah after the evacuation of Palestine by the Assyrian army, which appears to have taken place after the miraculous defeat of Sennacherib before Jerusalem.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>It shall blossom.</i> Palestine or Jerusalem shall blossom.
  גילת לב ═ גילת Joy of the heart. The ת indicates the construct state of the noun. <i>Unto it.</i> Unto the Lebanon, according to some commentators.4<i class="footnote">The other opinion is, that לָהּ refers to Palestine or Jerusalem, לבנון being used as a masculine noun; Comp. 29:17.</i> 
  <i>They shall see.</i> The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall see.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>Strengthen ye</i>, etc. According to all the commentators except R. Moses Hakkohen, this prophecy refers to the Messianic period; he refers it to the return of the fugitives in the time of Hezekiah, after the death of the king of Assyria. 
  <i>Confirm the feeble knees</i>, that they be able to walk.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>To them that are of a fearful heart.</i> To those that do not believe that such a miracle could happen. <i>With vengeance</i> against Edom or Assyria.5<i class="footnote">Edom or Assyria, as we refer this prophecy to the Messianic period or to the time of Hezekiah.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>Then</i>, when they see this miracle or hear of it.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Then shall the lame man leap</i>, in his return to Jerusalem. 
  <i>And the tongue of the dumb shall sing.</i> A figurative expression for they will find water everywhere; it is the reverse of the tongue of the suckling cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst (Lam. 4:4)
  
  Verse 7
  
  השרב <i>The parched ground.</i> Comp. שרב heat (49:10) and שרבא the Chaldæan translation of חרב heat (Gen. 31:40).
  בנוה תנים רבצה <i>That which had been covered with the dwelling of dragons</i>.6<i class="footnote">A. V., In the habitation of dragons, where each lay.</i> The desert. 
  חצר═חציר <i>Court</i>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., Grass.</i> 
  <i>With reeds and rushes,</i> that grow on the banks of rivers.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>And an highway shall be there</i>, etc. Although the rivers shall swell, still there will be a pathway, etc.8<i class="footnote">The abundance of water everywhere will be a blessing and comfort, not an obstacle stopping their way to their land and the holy city.</i> מסלול An highway. 
  <i>The way of holiness.</i> So called because of the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem.9<i class="footnote">That is, to the holy city, to the place which the Lord has chosen to put his name there.</i> 
  <i>The unclean shall not pass,</i> etc. No heathen, that is unclean, will pass over it, although it is his own, out of fear: the redeemed alone shall walk on the highway; and furthermore, <i>the wayfaring men, and fools</i>, that are not acquainted with the way, <i>shall not err therein,</i> because it will be a highway.10<i class="footnote">A straight, continuous road, without any interruption.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>No lion shall be there</i> on that way.
  <i>Nor any ravenous beast</i>, that could do harm, and frighten those that wish to return. <i>But the redeemed shall walk there</i>. Those that will return will be unmolested by enemies and wild beasts.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>And the ransomed</i>, etc. And those that return, will come to Zion with rejoicing and <i>with everlasting joy upon their heads</i>. The head is the principal seat of the soul.11<i class="footnote">The divine promise of joy and happiness concerns the soul more than the body.</i> According to others the joy will be like a cover over their heads; this explanation is also admissible.
  ששון ושמחה ישיגו <i>Joy and gladness shall reach</i> them. According to others: they shall obtain joy and gladness.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  They1<i class="footnote">The next four chapters (xxxvi.-xxxix.), and 2 Kings 18:13—xx. 19.—The words ואם יש מלות, although they are not separated from the preceding by any sign, are the beginning of the new chapter.</i> are in meaning the same, although the one contains some additional words, which the other has not; the words may be compared with instruments, their meanings with the workmen.2<i class="footnote">I. E. means by this simile, that we need not care so much for the words if we only know their sense, which is the principal thing. But the comparison is not striking; it can hardly be said that the meaning uses the words or letters in the same way as the workman makes use of his instruments. כפועלם like the work done with them, is perhaps the correct reading, instead of כפועלים like the workmen. Another simile, frequently used by I. E. for this same idea, is: The words are like the body, their sense like the soul.</i> I shall now explain six3<i class="footnote">שיש that there are, in the Hebrew text, gives no sense; it is a corruption of שש six.</i> passages. 
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  1. In the book of Kings (18:20) <i>Thou sayest</i> (<i>but they are but vain words</i>) <i>I have counsel and strength for war</i>; that is, thou hast said to thy people, that thou hast wisdom and strength for war, but this was only a word of the lips,4<i class="footnote">Between וזה and הוא the sentence, which is paraphrased by the succeeding words, namely, אך דבר שפתים but in vain words, is omitted.</i> thy5<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has גבורתי my strength, as if Hezekiah said that the strength of Rabshakeh consisted only in words. This reading, which is not at all objectionable in itself, renders the preceding words וזה הוא entirely inexplicable. The translation suggests the reading גבורתך thy strength instead of גבורתי.</i> strength consisted only in words. In the book of Isaiah (36:5) it is said, <i>I say but vain words are counsel and strength for war</i>.6<i class="footnote">A. V., I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words), I have counsel and strength for war.</i> These are the words of Rabshakeh; he says: I believe, that thy counsel and strength for war consist only in words. 
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  2. In the book of Kings (19:14) ויקראם <i>And he read them</i>,7<i class="footnote">A. V., It.</i> viz., the documents (הספרים); in Isaiah (37:14) ויקראהו <i>And he read it,</i> viz., that document alone, which contained the blasphemies; in both, <i>And spread it.</i> 
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  3. In the book of Kings there is the addition of the words נהרי זרים═זרים, the rivers of strangers, after מים water.
  
  Verse 26
  
  4. In the book of Kings (19:25) להשות וגו׳ <i>To make equal,</i> etc., to make fenced cities equal to heaps of ruins; in the book of Isaiah (37:26) להשאות <i>to lay waste</i>, etc., to lay waste fenced cities, that they be like heaps of ruins; comp. שואה desolation (10:3); or להשאות is the same as להשות, since א and ו frequently interchange.
  
  Verse 27
  
  5. In the book of Kings (19:26) שרפה; in Isaiah (37:27) שדמה; though there be two different words, their meaning is the same, blasted.
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  6. In the book of Kings (19:29) סחיש; in Isaiah (37:30) שחים; these two words are the same in meaning—<i>that which springeth of the same.</i> Comp. כבש and כשב lamb (Lev. 3:7, and 4:32)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  ויחי <i>And was recovered</i>. Comp. עד חיותם till they were whole (Jos. 5:8), ואתה מחיה and thou preservest (Neh. 9:6). It might also mean, And he lived.1<i class="footnote">In this case the word מחליו which follows, must be translated: his illness being no more, or after having been ill.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  בדמי. Some derive it from דָּם blood, and explain it, In the vigour;2<i class="footnote">דם Blood or ═ לשׁד moisture, sap (Ps. 32:4); דמי freshness, vigour; בדמי ימי in the vigour of my days, that is, in the midst of my days. The י in דמי is not radical according to this explanation. The second opinion is, that י is a radical letter, replacing ה, and that דְּמִי is a noun formed of דמה to cut off, like פְּרִי fruit of פּרה.</i>2<i class="footnote">דם Blood or ═ לשׁד moisture, sap (Ps. 32:4); דמי freshness, vigour; בדמי ימי in the vigour of my days, that is, in the midst of my days. The י in דמי is not radical according to this explanation. The second opinion is, that י is a radical letter, replacing ה, and that דְּמִי is a noun formed of דמה to cut off, like פְּרִי fruit of פּרה.</i> but the correct explanation is: In the cutting off. Comp. נדמה נדמה shall utterly be cut off (Hos. 10:15).
  שאל <i>The grave</i>, which is deep in the earth; the opposite of heaven, which is always above; comp. Ps. 139:8:3<i class="footnote">In the psalm quoted, the poet says that wherever he should choose to go God would see him, whether he ascended to heaven or descended into the earth. There is, according to I. E., no occasion for introducing there the idea of hell; as a contrast to heaven above, the grave in the earth below is mentioned: If I make my bed in the grave, behold thou art there.</i> it does not mean hell.
  פקדתי <i>I am deprived</i>. Comp. ולא נפקד and there lacketh not (Num. 31:49); it is a poetical expression,4<i class="footnote">For the common I die.</i> as also used in Arabic.5<i class="footnote">فَقَدَ he lost. Pass. he was lost, he died.</i> Some say that פקדתי is the same as ממני פקד was taken from me, and compare it with יצאוני are gone forth from me (Jer. 10:20);6<i class="footnote">The comparison is not correct, because ני in יצאוני is in the objective case, while תי in פקדתי denotes the subject.</i> according to others it means I was remembered, in the same sense as and the Lord remembered (Gen. 21:1).7<i class="footnote">The three explanations of the phrase פקדתי יתר שנותי, given by I. E., are: 1. I shall be missing (that is, dead) during the remainder of my years, that is, of the years which I should have lived, were I not afflicted with this illness. 2. The remainder of my years was taken from me. 3. But the remainder of my years was granted unto me.</i> 
  <i>The residue of my years</i>. Comp. the number of thy days I will complete (Ex. 23:26). In my commentary on that verse I have explained it.8<i class="footnote">The years or the days of man are those determined by the natural constitution of his body; their number is often diminished by accidents, but remains complete by the protection and blessing of Providence. Comp. also I. E. on Exod. 33:21.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>I shall not see the Lord</i>, etc. God is not subject to accidents, that a human eye should be able to perceive Him; He is, however, known by His works. The meaning of this verse is therefore: I shall not see any longer the works of the Almighty; I shall not understand the works of the Lord in this world, in the land of the living. These latter words are thus added as a kind of explanation of the preceding phrase. The pleasure which man has in this world in understanding the works of the Almighty is first mentioned; and then, in the words, I shall behold man no more, his pleasure in seeing his fellow-men.
  חדל <i>World.</i> חדל is perhaps the same as חלד life, as כשב is the same as כבש lamb; comp. חלדי my life (Ps. 39:6); it is possible that the word has the same meaning in the phrase מה חדל אני how long I am living9<i class="footnote">A. V., How frail I am.</i> (Ps. 39:5). The life of man in this world is perhaps called 10<i class="footnote">From חדל to cease. In this case we need not assume the transposition of letters (חלד ═ חדל), unless we consider חדל to be the original word, and חלד the changed form of it. Usually חלד life is derived from חלד to be firm, to last, a verb found in Arabic.</i>חדל because man must at some time cease to be therein.11<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Ps. 49:9.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  דורי <i>My dwelling</i>.12<i class="footnote">A. V., Mine age.</i> Comp. מדור from dwelling (Ps. 39:5); the word is frequent in Chaldee;13<i class="footnote">Comp. דירה dwelling, דיורין occupants of a house (Talm. Bab. Sukka ix.)</i> דור generation (13:20) is perhaps to be derived from the same root;14<i class="footnote">דור A generation, that is, the average time a man dwells upon the earth.</i> comp. for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner (Ps. 39:13).
  נִסַּע <i>Is departed</i>. The radical נ is replaced by Dagesh in the ס.
  ונגלה <i>And is removed</i>. Comp. גלות exile (20:4).
  ממני═מני <i>From me.</i> Comp. 22:4.
  רועי Either my shepherd, the י being the pronominal suffix, or belonging to a shepherd, the י signifying relation, as in פנימי inner (1 Kings 6:26), אכזרי cruel (13:9);15<i class="footnote">Comp. c. xiii. Note 7.</i> for the tent of the shepherd does not remain in one place.
  קפדתי <i>I folded together</i>.16<i class="footnote">A. V., I have cut off.</i> 
  <i>Like a weaver.</i> Comp. And my days are swifter than the weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6).
  מדלה <i>With pining sickness.</i> Comp. דל lean (1 Sam. 13:4). With this illness, which I am suffering now,
  יבצעני <i>He will cut me off,</i> that my life will expire; comp. ויבצעני and cut me off (Job 6:9).
  מיום עד לילה תשלימני <i>From day even to night it will make peace with me</i>.17<i class="footnote">A. V., Wilt thou make an end of me?</i>17<i class="footnote">A. V., Wilt thou make an end of me?</i> It is an illness that keeps peace with the patient during the day, and makes war during the night; a fact often observed in cases of illness.תשלימני <i>It will make peace with me</i> Comp. תשלים it will make peace (Deut. 20:12)
  
  Verse 13
  
  שויתי I made equal; supply נפשי myself;18<i class="footnote">A. V., I reckoned that.</i> or I compared the illness19<i class="footnote">In either case שויתי must be considered as an elliptical phrase; but the ellipsis of נפשי, which turns the transitive verb into a reflective one, is more natural. The sense of the whole sentence is: I made myself a lion, in resisting the fierce attacks of the illness; or, I considered the illness as a lion, that tried to break my bones.</i>19<i class="footnote">In either case שויתי must be considered as an elliptical phrase; but the ellipsis of נפשי, which turns the transitive verb into a reflective one, is more natural. The sense of the whole sentence is: I made myself a lion, in resisting the fierce attacks of the illness; or, I considered the illness as a lion, that tried to break my bones.</i> in its fierce attacks on me, with <i>a lion</i> which generally breaks the bones. <i>From day even to night it maketh peace with me</i>, to my great surprise, after the attacks during the night.20<i class="footnote">This remark is to explain the repetition of this idea in this verse, after its having been expressed in the same words in the preceding one.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  כסוס כעגור═כסוס עגור. Comp. כרע כאח לי as though he had been my friend, my brother (Ps. 35:14). In the same way ככבש כאלוף ═ אלוף ככבש like a lamb, like an ox (Jer. 14:19). סיס and עגור are names of birds, a crane, a swallow. <i>So did I chatter</i>. The patient in his heavy illness mutters and speaks what no one is able to understand.
  דלו <i>They are lifted up</i>.21<i class="footnote">A. V., Fail.</i> Root דלל, comp. דליו they are high (Prov. 26:7).
  עשקה לי <i>It oppresseth me.</i>22<i class="footnote">A. V., I am oppressed.—עָֽשְׁקָה is third person feminine past of עשק; I. E. supplies, therefore, the subject דלה illness.</i> The illness oppresseth me.
  ערבני <i>Undertake for me</i>. Comp.23<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has עתה now; but its meaning can hardly be found out; besides, the word טגזרת, the usual introduction of a parallel passage, is missing; and the conjecture that עת׳ is a corruption of מגזרת is well founded.</i> ערוב be surety (Ps. 119:112); according to some הרבני ═ ערבני destroy me; this is nonsense. The word ערבני, lit. pledge thyself for me, is an anthropomorphism; it means, sympathise with me in my troubles.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>He hath spoken unto me.</i> He said, I will add to thy days (ver. 5),
  והוא עשה <i>And himself will do it</i>.24<i class="footnote">A. V., And hath done.</i> The past is here used for the future; comp. נתתי I will give (Gen. 23:13)24a<i class="footnote">Abraham says to Ephron נתתי כסף השדה; lit.: I gave thee money for the field (Gen. 23:13); and in the same chapter, ver. 15, it is stated Abraham weighed to Ephron, etc. The past נתתי is here used for the future.</i>; or And himself hath done this kindness unto me25<i class="footnote">viz. give me that promise.</i>, and still <i>I shall go softly in the bitterness of my soul</i>, when remembering these troubles, which I had to suffer.
  אדדה <i>I shall go softly</i>. Hithpaël;26<i class="footnote">It is impossible to suppose that I. E. explained אֶדַּדֶּה to be Niphal, as the Hebrew text reads ומלת אדדה מבנין נפעל; either נפעל is a corruption of התפעל, or I. E. read אֶדָּדֶה instead of אֶדַּדֶּה</i> there is no parallel to it in the Bible, but אדדם I went with them (Ps. 42:5), and in the Mishna מדדה (Shabb. 18:2) in the well known meaning.27<i class="footnote">To lead, or to assist in walking.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  עליהם <i>By them</i>.28<i class="footnote">A. V., By these things men live.</i>28<i class="footnote">A. V., By these things men live.</i> By the words, hinted at in the phrase And he said (ver. 15). עליהם יחיו <i>By them they live</i>. By thy words and acts the living beings exist. ולכל <i>And always</i>29<i class="footnote">A. V., And in all these things.</i>. The word עת time is to be supplied.
  ותחלימני <i>So wilt thou recover me</i>. Comp. יחלמו they are strong (Job 39:4); חלום strong (Talm. Bab. Rosh Hashanah 28)
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Behold when I hoped for peace</i>,30<i class="footnote">A. V., Behold for peace.</i> etc., when I was in the middle of my years, (Hezekiah was 39 years old, when he was taken ill); for when the choler31<i class="footnote">The four humours of which the ancients supposed the blood to be composed are: blood רם, choler מרה אדומה, phlegm לחה, melancholy מרה שחורה; the prevalence of the one or the other in man was believed to determine the constitution of his mind, or his temper. As man becomes older, the choleric temper disappears, while the phlegmatic humour increases.</i> is predominant in man, he is ailing in his youth, but healthy in his old age; the reverse takes place, if the phlegm is predominant; but the middle years are generally expected to be peaceful.
  מר לי מר <i>I had great bitterness</i>. The repetition indicates emphasis. Some derive מר from תמורה
  the reverse. בלי Some compare it with בלתי I am waxed old (Gen. 18:12), and consider it as a noun like פרי fruit meaning corruption. Others say that בלי means in this verse not, and that the sentence is inverted.32<i class="footnote">The proper order of the words, according to this opinion, may be supposed to be as follows: ואתה לא חשקת נפשי משחת but thou hast not desired my soul to go down to the grave. The מ in משחת, however, presents some difficulty, and probably for that reason this explanation is rejected by I. E.</i> The first explanation is preferable: And thou hast desired my soul, and brought me up from the pit of corruption. 
  <i>For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.</i> A figure taken from man, that does not see, what is behind his back; for we know, that God, the Creator of all bodies, has no body. This verse proves the assertion of some authorities, that in consequence of a sin committed by him, Hezekiah should have died earlier; and since, as they otherwise stated, he who dies before his fifty-second year suffers the punishment כָּרְת to be cut off,33<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Gen. 17:14; and Talm. Bab. Moed. Katan. 28<i>a</i>: He who dies in the fiftieth year of his life, dies by the punishment of כָּרֵת; he who dies in the fifty-second year enjoys a death like that of the prophet Samuel.</i> he was grieved, that he should be punished with כָּרְת, not being conscious of having committed a sin deserving it; he says therefore: Remember now, how I have walked before Thee, and have done what is good in Thine eyes (ver. 3); he mentions two things, the thought and the practice.34<i class="footnote">I. E. refers the words how I have walked before Thee to the fulfilment of the duties of the heart, because they are followed by in truth and with a perfect heart.</i> Tradition says, that he had not yet obeyed the commandment to marry.35<i class="footnote">Comp. Talm. Bab. Berachoth 10<i>a</i>.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>For the grave</i>, etc. The body which is in the grave; the negation לא is to be repeated after מות: death cannot celebrate thee; comp. Prov. 21:14.36<i class="footnote">In the verse מתן בסתר יכפה אף ושחד בחק חמה עזה A gift in secret pacifieth anger, and a reward in the bosom strong wrath, the verb יכפה pacifieth must be repeated before חמה wrath.</i>
  ישברו <i>They hope.</i> Comp. Ps. 145:15. Many are surprised to find here the prophet declaring such things, as if denying the truth of the resurrection of the dead; but the body has no power, no knowledge, when the soul has left it; and why should we be surprised at it? Man has sometimes no understanding when the soul is in the body, much less after his death.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>The living, the living.</i> The word חי living is repeated as if to say he who is living, as I do, or he who has recovered from illness. <i>Shall praise thee</i>, shall give thanks in words, in which soul and body appear to unite. According to some the first חי refers to God;37<i class="footnote">The translation of the words חי חי הוא יודך according to this explanation would be: O living God, he who liveth shall praise Thee.</i> but there is no necessity for this assumption. 
  <i>Thy truth.</i> These acts of truth.38<i class="footnote">To send relief and help to the afflicted and suffering.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>The Lord</i>. Supply hath said, or will say, or will command. 
  <i>And my songs</i>, the songs which I shall compose. <i>We will sing.</i> I, and the singers in the temple, will sing, all our life.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>Let them take a lump of figs</i>, etc. This is a miracle, because the figs are injurious to him who suffers from the scab;39<i class="footnote">Comp. Rashi ad locum.</i> and the reason that the future forms וימרחו ,ישאו are used,40<i class="footnote">The words יש אומרים of the Hebrew text give no sense; after וזה שאמר and that he says, the words, which he said, are expected. They are very probably a corruption of במצות ;ישאו ,וימרחו is either identical with, or wrongly copied for בצווי in the imperative.</i> is, that here only the command is reported.41<i class="footnote">It is frequently the case that a command is mentioned, and it must be inferred from the context that it was carried out; comp. Zech. 3:4.</i>
  דבלת תאנים <i>A lump of figs</i>. Figs, that are opened, pressed together, and form a mass which is cut with a knife.
  וימרחו <i>And lay it for a plaster</i>. The word has a similar meaning in Arabic; what it means is well known.42<i class="footnote">مَرَخَ to rub. Comp. c. xxxiv. Note 17.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  ויאמר חזקיהו <i>Hezekiah also had said</i> before, <i>What is the sign,</i> as mentioned above (38:7)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  This chapter1<i class="footnote">In this remark I. E. seems to consider the whole book of Isaiah as one, and to explain only the connection between the thirty-ninth chapter and the fortieth, without anticipating the question concerning the authorship of the second part, or concerning the period to which c. xl. refers. The prediction of the Babylonian exile (c. xxxix.) is, according to the opinion of I. E. properly followed by prophecies of comfort and happiness, even if those announce the release from some other exile. A similar remark is made by I. E. on the position of the thirteenth chapter.</i> has been placed here for the following reason: in the preceding chapter it is predicted that all the treasures of the King, and even his sons, will be carried away to Babylon; this sad prediction is properly followed by the words of comfort. 
  These first comforting promises, with which the second part of the book of Isaiah begins, refer, as R. Moses Hakkohen believes, to the restoration of the temple by Zerubbabel; according to my opinion to the coming redemption from our present exile; prophecies concerning the Babylonian exile are introduced only as an illustration,2<i class="footnote">The word לזכר is here used in the same sense as in the well-known Talmudical phrase אע״פי שאין ראיה לדבר זכר לדבר although there is no convincing proof for the statement, there is still some support for it. I. E. is of opinion that the prophecies concerning the redemption from the Babylonian exile are mentioned in this part of the book, not for their own sake, but only to strengthen the faith of Israel in those prophecies which refer to the Messianic period; that the fulfilment of the former may support the hope for the fulfilment of the latter. This remark of I. E. is based on the assumption that the prophecies contained in the second part of Isaiah were announced either after the redemption from the Babylonian exile, or at least immediately before the fall of Babylon, when the coming events could already be foreseen by every one.</i> showing how Cyrus, who allowed the captive Jews to return to Jerusalem,3<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text seems to be defective, as may be inferred from the incomplete sentence כי כורש ששלח הנולה. For Cyrus, who set free those in exile; the context demands the complement was appointed for that mission by the Almighty long before.</i> …. About the last section of the book there is no doubt, that it refers to a period yet to come, as I shall explain.4<i class="footnote">I. E. nowhere fully explains this point; he only hints at it here and there, <i>e.g.,</i> 49:24, 51:1, 52:1, 11.</i>—It must be borne in mind, that the opinion of the orthodox, that the book of Samuel was written by Samuel, is correct as regards the first part, till the words And Samuel died (1 Sam. 25:1); this remark is confirmed by the fact that the book of Chronicles contains the names (of the descendants of David) in genealogical order down to Zerubbabel.5<i class="footnote">1 Chr. 3:1—19; ver. 20 is the commencement of a new pedigree, according to I. E. The Chronicles are supposed to have been written in the time of Zerubbabel; and from the fact that the generations after Zerubbabel, are not mentioned, I. E. concludes that the historian, even in books which are believed to be written by the dictation of the holy, prophetical spirit, does not anticipate the history of days to come. The latter part of the first book of Samuel, relating what has happened after the death of Samuel, could not have been written by the prophet Samuel himself. In a similar way, the second part of the book of Isaiah, which contains allusions to events that took place long after the death of Isaiah, as to historical facts, is, according to I. E., not written by the same prophet.</i>—The words Kings shall see6<i class="footnote">Supply according to I. E., the prophet as object to the verb will see; usually the fulfilment of the divine promise is understood.</i> and arise, princes and shall worship (49:7) support this view,7<i class="footnote">I. E. is of opinion that in chapter xlix. the prophet speaks of himself, who, ill treated, despised, and mocked at, when proclaiming the word of the Lord, is assured by the Almighty that he will yet be honoured by kings and princes, who will witness the fulfilment of his prophecies, and testify to their truth. The events referred to in these chapters having taken place during the reign of Cyrus, the prophet consequently lived at that time. But I. E. does not deny the possibility of referring the promised compensation to the honour and acknowledgment given by posterity to the name and memory of the prophet; in that case the verse quoted would contain no proof whatever for the opinion of I. E. Both views being admissible, it is strange that I. E. gives such importance to this proof, as to refer to it repeatedly in his commentary.</i> though they might also be explained as follows: Kings and princes will arise, etc., when they hear the name of the prophet, even after his death. The reader will adopt the opinion which recommends itself most to his judgment.
  <i>Comfort</i>, etc. God addresses His prophet or the chiefs of the people. The repetition of the words Comfort ye is to indicate, that the comfort is to be administered immediately or repeatedly.
  
  Verse 2
  
  דברו על לב <i>Speak ye comfortably</i>. The expression דבר על לב speak to the heart means always to speak kindly, so as to remove sorrow and regret for things which have already past; comp. Gen. 50:21. 
  <i>Jerusalem.</i> The congregation of Israel is meant.
  צבאה <i>Her time</i>.8<i class="footnote">A. V., The warfare.</i> Comp. צבאי my appointed time (Job 14:14); צבא (ib. vii .1). The commentators generally take it in its usual sense; her host;9<i class="footnote">מלאה צבאה is to be rendered accordingly: She is full of her host, that is, of the Israelites. Comp. Targ. Jon. ארי עתידא דתתטלי מעם גלותהא I. E. decides against this explanation, probably from the parallelism which demands that this phrase should be similar in meaning to נרצה עונה the punishment for her iniquity is accomplished. From the mere grammatical point of view this explanation is more commendable, since the masculine צבאה is more likely to be the object than the subject to טלאה, which is feminine.</i> but the first explanation is the right one.
  נרצה <i>Is accomplished</i>,10<i class="footnote">A. V., Is pardoned. Shall enjoy.</i>10<i class="footnote">A. V., Is pardoned. Shall enjoy.</i> that is, is finished and at an end; comp. עד ירצה till he shall accomplish (Job 14:6); תרצה shall accomplish (Levit. 26:34); נרצה עונה has the same meaning as the phrase תם עונן the punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished (Lam. 4:22). 
  <i>Double</i>. Twice as much affliction as other nations had to suffer.
  בכל For all.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>The voice of him that crieth,</i> of him, that brings the good tidings. 
  <i>Prepare ye</i>, etc. These words are addressed to all nations. 
  <i>The way of the Lord</i>. The way of those that have been in exile and return to the holy mountain.11<i class="footnote">The way of the Lord is either the way which the Lord made, or the way made for the Lord; that is, the way which leads to the place where His name is glorified. I. E. seems to be in favour of the second explanation.</i> 
  <i>Make straight</i>, etc. Repetition of the same idea.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Every valley shall be exalted</i>. Every valley that is now low, shall then be exalted. The word גֶּיא valley is not in the construct state12<i class="footnote">From this remark it appears that I. E. read גֵּיא, and thought it therefore necessary to explain the difference between this word, used, as it seems, in the absolute state, and the same form 22:1 and Ez. 39:11 used in the construct state. No remark would have been required if I. E. had before him the reading גֶּיא adopted in the printed editions of the Bible.</i> as in 22:1, and Ez. 39:11. It is, however, possible that it is in the construct state and some genitive is to be supplied; comp. מִלֵּיל (21:11).13<i class="footnote">See c. xv., Note 1.</i>
  העקוב <i>The crooked.</i> It is the opposite of מישור straight; comp. עקוב deceitful14<i class="footnote">That is crooked in the figurative sense, the opposite of ישר upright or straight.</i> (Jer. 17:9).
  והרכסים <i>And the rough places.</i> Comp. מרכסי from the crookedness of15<i class="footnote">A. V., From the pride.</i> (Ps. 39:21)
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And the glory</i>, etc. When God will perform this miracle, then His glory will be revealed.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The voice said</i>, etc. This verse explains the glory of the Lord to consist in the fact that His word alone is fulfilled, not so the word of man. 
  <i>The voice</i>. The angel.16<i class="footnote">I. E. prefers to let the angel speak to Isaiah, to attributing to God a voice in its literal meaning.</i> <i>Said</i> unto the prophet. כחציר═חציר Like grass. Comp. כשמש═שמש as sun (Ps. 84:12). 
  <i>As the flower of the field</i>, which flourisheth in the morning and groweth up, but is cut down and withereth in the evening (Ps. 90:6)
  
  Verse 7
  
  חציר <i>Grass.</i> The fresh grass; the word has the same meaning in Arabic.17<i class="footnote">خَضِرَ Viruit, خَضِرٌ Viridis. (Freytag, Lex. Arab. Lat.)</i>
  נשבה <i>Bloweth.</i> Comp. וישב and he drove away (Gen. 15:11), though of a different conjugation.18<i class="footnote">נשבה is the third person feminine part, of Kal; וישב is the third person masculine future (with ו conversive) of Hiphil.</i> 
  כחציר═חציר Like grass. העם All people.19<i class="footnote">The definite article is sometimes used to indicate the extension of a name to all the individuals of that class; <i>e.g.</i> כל עם = הָעָם all people; all individuals included in the term עם people.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>The grass withereth,</i> etc. Since he is like grass, he will wither; since he is like the flower, he will fade away; but the word of the Lord shall stand—יעמוד═יקום20<i class="footnote">קום usually signifies to rise, expressing a momentary action; עמד to stand, expresses a lasting state. It must therefore be considered as exceptional to find the verb קום followed by the adverbial phrase for ever, or as I. E. explains, to find קום used instead of עמד.</i>—and none will frustrate it. 
  רוח ה׳21<i class="footnote">This remark belongs to ver. 7.</i> <i>The wind</i>22<i class="footnote">A. V., Spirit.</i> <i>of the Lord,</i> that is, the wind, which is sent by Him, נשבה בו <i>Bloweth upon it,</i> that is, upon the grass, and it becomes dry.
  
  Verse 9
  
  מבשרת <i>That bringeth good tidings.</i> The feminine is used because עדה the congregation23<i class="footnote">That is, the congregation of Zion or Israel.—This remark is directed against the Midrash explanation, quoted by Rashi, that sometimes the masculine form מבשר is used, sometimes the feminine מבשרת, to indicate that the good news will come either quickly, with vigour, as a man is used to go, if the Israelites will deserve it by a virtuous life, or slowly, without energy, like a woman, if the Israelites should fail to deserve it.</i> is to be supplied, but not because it signifies a female person.
  
  Verse 10
  
  בחזק <i>With strong hand,</i> יד hand is to be supplied; as to the use of יד as a masculine noun, comp. Ez. 2:9.24<i class="footnote">חזק is an adjective; the noun, which is to be qualified by this attribute, must be supplied.</i>
  שכרו <i>His reward,</i> that is, the reward which He will give to him that hopes for Him.25<i class="footnote">The phrase his reward admits of two meanings; namely, 1, the reward which he gives; 2, the reward which he receives. The first explanation, though introduced anonymously, is not I. E.’s own opinion; he rejects it and replaces it by another, which is based on the second meaning of his reward.</i> ופעלתו And his wages. Comp. פעלת שכיר the wages of him that is hired; פעלה lit. work signifies also the wages for the work.—I think that this explanation is not supported by the context, and that the sense of the sentence is: God does not ask for any wages ; He is not like a hired shepherd, but כרעה עדרו (next verse) like one, that feeds his own flock.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>And carry them in his bosom.</i> Namely those that cannot walk.
  עלות Those that are with young. The word is derived from עלה to go up.27<i class="footnote">If it were as I. E. asserts, the word would be עלות עולות is to be derived from עול, as in nearly all commentaries.</i> 
  ינהל He shall gently lead.—God will bring together those that are in exile, and heal those that are suffering.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Who hath measured,</i> etc. There are some that ask, How is it possible that such a thing28<i class="footnote">The redemption of the Israelites from their exile.</i> shall happen? The answer is that the same Supreme Being will cause it to pass, who has created the whole universe, who knows the quantity of the water in the sea, as if He had measured it with His hand.
  בשעלו <i>In the hollow of His hand.</i> Comp. כשעלי for handfuls (Ez. 13:19).
  <i>And meted out heaven with the span.</i> He knows the measure of heaven, which He has stretched out like a curtain; He has created it with His omnipotence, according to His wisdom, as if He had measured it with the span. The words of the text are an anthropomorphism.
  וכל <i>And measured.</i>28a<i class="footnote">A. V., And comprehended.</i> Comp. וכלו, the Chaldean translation of וימרו and they measured (Ex. 16:18).
  בשליש <i>In a measure.</i> שליש is very likely derived from שלש three, but we do not know at present the capacities of ancient measures. Comp. בשליש in great measure (Ps. Ixxx. 6).29<i class="footnote">According to Gesenius שליש is the third part of an Epha, which is translated in the LXX. by <i>τρíα μέτρα</i> three measures.</i>
  בפלס <i>In a balance.</i>30<i class="footnote">A. V., Scales.</i> It is called in Arabic Kriston31<i class="footnote">The Roman balance, the steelyard. As to the word קרסטון mentioned by I. E., see Aruch. sub voce כרסם it is called there an Arabian word, but it is more correctly the Persian كَرِسْتُون</i> and consists of one long arm. The word פֶלֶס is of the same root as פַלֵּס weigh (Prov. 4:26).
  וגבעות במאזנים <i>And hills in scales.</i>32<i class="footnote">A. V., Balance.</i> He places two hills in the two scales and weighs them against each other.32a<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to lay too much stress on the dual form מאזנים; else the remark is quite superfluous.</i> All this is said figuratively.
  
  Verse 13
  
  רוח יי <i>The spirit of the Lord.</i> The Gaon says that תוח the wind (air) has not yet been mentioned with the other three elements in the preceding verse, and that יי the Lord is the answer given to the question, and the meaning of the phrase is: Who has directed the wind? The Lord.33<i class="footnote">The Gaon translates it: مَب هَيَّا الْروج هو اللهُ</i> I do not agree with this explanation, because it is said 34<i class="footnote">The accusative case in Hebrew is indicated by את only when the noun has the definite article or governs a genitive; if, therefore, רוח were to be separated from the following יי, the particle את before רוח would be very exceptional.</i>את רוח, and besides, the second half of the verse has no sense at all if this explanation be adopted. I explain the verse thus: Who has directed the spirit of the Lord: רוח is in the construct state; comp. אלהים רוח (Gen. 1:2);35<i class="footnote">A. V., The spirit of the Lord (here as well as Gen. 1:2).</i> the interrogative pronoun מי who, is to be supplied before the second part of the verse: And who is the man, to whom God communicated His counsel, why He created things in such and such a manner.
  
  Verse 14
  
  נועץ It is the past of Niphal; the ע has therefore a Pathah;36<i class="footnote">נועַץ is the third person past, נועָץ the participle of Niphal, used also for the present tense. I. E. refers the verse to the creation, and lays stress on the use of the past.</i> it means, He took counsel. 
  ויבינהו And gave Him understanding.37<i class="footnote">A. V., And who instructed Him.</i> <i>And taught Him the path of judgment,</i> how to fix the punishment for every sin, 
  <i>and taught Him knowledge</i> (דעת), to know future events.
  
  Verse 15
  
  כמר מדלי <i>As a drop of a bucket,</i> as a drop that falls from the bucket. מר drop is hap. leg.
  וכשחק <i>And as the small dust.</i> Comp. ושחקת and thou shalt beat (Ex. 30:36).—Since all people are vain before Him, with whom could he have taken counsel? 
  יטול He throweth; comp. ויטילו and cast Him forth (Jon. 1:5), though of a different root. According to R. Jonah ימול is Niphal, but that is very improbable; it can also be explained He taketh up and compared with נוטל carrying (Mishnah Shab. 17:2).38<i class="footnote">יטּול. can be Niphal of טול as well as Kal of נטל; but the construction of the sentence is not in favour of the former, for we should then have to supply the relative אשר: The isles are like dust <i>that</i> is carried away; but ימול being taken as the Kal of נטל requires no such supplement.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>And Lebanon is not sufficient,</i> etc. God does not want burnt offerings; Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, if He wanted offerings. Lebanon is mentioned by the prophet simply as an example which his hearers can understand ; in reality, however, he refers to all the woods of the earth. The same remark applies to the words and the beasts thereof.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>All nations,</i> etc. All divisions of nature39<i class="footnote">Only those parts of nature are mentioned, that exhibit a certain degree of vitality; the minerals (רומס) are therefore passed over in silence.</i> are reviewed by the prophet; viz. first the nations (ver. 15), that is, man, and then (ver. 16) plants and beasts.—The meaning of this verse is: since all40<i class="footnote">The phrase כל הגויס which is explained by I. E. to signify man, plants and animals cannot be taken in its usual and literal sense all people ; it means all divisions or all kingdoms of nature. Although I. E. might have derived this meaning of כל הגויס from the literal and original meaning of גוי people, he seems here to have indulged in a play of words, and to have used כלּ הגוים in his commentary at least, instead of כל הגויות all bodies or all.</i> is as nothing before Him, etc.41<i class="footnote">I. E. considers verse 17 as the recapitulation of the two preceding verses, and therefore refers כל הגויס to man, plants and animals mentioned there.</i>
  מאפס <i>Less than nothing.</i> The מ denotes here the same as in מהבל lighter than vanity (Ps. Ixii. 10).—It is surprising how the Gaon could place men above angels, he must certainly have read this chapter.42<i class="footnote">This question is discussed by I. E, more fully in his abridged commentary on Exodus 23:20.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>To whom then,</i> etc. They are without knowledge, but God is omniscient (Jos. 22:22).43<i class="footnote">If the words of the Hebrew text יודע אל הס בלא ה״א הדעת כמו אל׳ הוא contained a grammatical remark that האל=אל God, or = אלה these, either the word הם or הדעת were superfluous, and the reference to Jos. 22:22 unnecessary. The following emendation has therefore been suggested for the translation: אל הם בלא דעת ואל הוא יודע.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  הפסלּ <i>The image,</i>44<i class="footnote">A. V., A graven image.</i> which is cut of stone or wood.
  נסך <i>Melteth</i>.45<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text is here deficient. If נסך means he cast, as appears from the comparison with עגל מסכה the molten calf, I. E. himself explains it so—הפסל cannot be the image cut from wood or stone. The original was probably to this effect: נסך to cover or to overlay; others: to cast. Comp. the commentary of Kimchi, ad locum.</i> Comp. ענל מסכה a molten calf (Ex, 32:4). 
  ירקענו <i>Beateth it</i>.46<i class="footnote">A. V., Spreadeth it over.</i> Comp. וירקעו and they did beat (Ex. 39:3), רקיע expanse47<i class="footnote">A. V., A firmament.</i> (Gen. 1:6). 
  רתקות A kind of chain. Comp. הרתוק the chains (Ez. 7:23)
  
  Verse 20
  
  המסכן תרומה Some explain מסכן to be identical with סוכן treasurer (22:15), and supply מסכן: the treasurer, namely, the treasurer of the oblation. According to others מסכן is an adjective; That which is stored up, namely the oblation, of which to make an image ; 
  the third person in יבחר he chooseth is explained by them48<i class="footnote">The words by them are added in the translation, because according to the first explanation the treasurer is the subject.</i> to refer to the owner of the oblation. 
  <i>To prepare a graven image that shall not be moved.</i> To fasten it with nails.
  
  Verse 21
  
  הלא תדעו <i>Have ye not known</i> by your own common sense, which is the most important source of knowledge ;
  הלא תשמעו <i>have you not heard</i>; have you not been informed by others;
  הלא הגד מראש לכם <i>hath it not been told you from the beginning,</i> this is the lowest degree of knowledge.49<i class="footnote">The various degrees of knowledge, with regard to the mode of acquiring it, are, according to I. E., respectively expressed in Hebrew by ידע to know from our own reasoning, שמע to know from information and instruction received from others, הֻגַּד to be told, without any effort of our own reason.</i> 
  <i>From the beginning.</i> From the first day of your existence; and even if you have no knowledge at all, <i>have you not considered the foundations of the earth?</i> etc.
  
  Verse 22
  
  חוג <i>Circle.</i> Comp. מחוגה compass (44:13), the instrument, which is used to describe a circle.—Here it is stated that the earth is round and not square, though no verse is required for the support of this statement; for it is known by convincing proofs.50<i class="footnote">This remark is probably made, to shew that the expression from the four corners of the earth used by Isaiah (11:12), and Ezekiel (7:2), is not to be taken literally.</i> <i>He who sitteth upon the circle of the earth.</i> He whose glory fills the whole earth.
  כדוק <i>As a curtain</i>.51<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the word כטפריר, which, if correct, seems to be obscurer than the expression it is intended to throw light upon; but שפריר (Jer. 43:10.) is probably meant.</i> Resembling the form of a tent.—The heavens mentioned here are not the Ofanim.52<i class="footnote">The Ofanim or Spheres (גלגלים), the bearers of the Throne, are invisible; but here the visible heaven, the sky, is meant. Comp. I. E. on Is. 6:1, and Note 5; on Gen. 1:6, and on Ex. 24:10.</i>
  וימתחם <i>And spreadeth them out,</i>
  <i>as a tent to dwell</i> under them.—The meaning of the whole passage is: The Lord is He who sitteth, etc.53<i class="footnote">This verse is the continuation of the question of the preceding verse, and the answer, left to the reader to supply, is It is the Lord.</i>
  
  Verse 23
  
  רוזנים <i>Princes.</i> Comp. רזון prince (Prov. 14:28) ; the adjective has various forms.54<i class="footnote">The form of the nouns, whether substantives or adjectives, is not fixed after a certain uniform paradigm, as is the case with the verb; thus of the root רזן two nouns are formed: רָזוֹן and רֹזֵן both meaning the same, namely, prince. I. E. repeatedly calls our attention to this fact. See c. ix. Note 4.</i>
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>Yea, they shall not be planted,</i> etc. They shall be like trees, that perished as completely as if they had never been planted. נטעו is Niphal; זרעו is Pual; 
  שרש is participle Kal.55<i class="footnote">Comparing שׁׂרֵשׁ with שׁׂרָשוּ (Jer. 12:2), the reader is more inclined to take it as the third person Pual, with Zeré instead of the Pathah.</i>
  נשף <i>He shall blow.</i> Comp. נשפת thou didst blow (Ex. 15:10). וגם And besides.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>To whom then will you liken me,</i> etc. The prophet addresses the idolatrous people, saying, Are there men more honoured by you than princes and judges? and yet you see that God destroys them in a moment.
  ואשוה <i>That I be equal</i>56<i class="footnote">A. V., Or shall I be equal.—I. E. does not take it as a separate question, but as the explanation of the preceding one.</i> to him. 
  <i>The holy.</i> God is too holy to be compared with one of His creatures, much less with the products of His creatures.
  
  Verse 26
  
  <i>Who hath created these,</i> these creatures that are here; and who is it, <i>that bringeth out their host with number</i> every day. This phrase refers to the daily apparent coming and going of the stars. It may also refer to the planets, each of which has its circuit defined by a number, which is known to the Almighty, but unknown hitherto to the wise men of the East and to all astronomers.57<i class="footnote">The use of the expression the wise men of the East for men possessing the highest degree of wisdom is derived from the words And Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the children of the East. (1 Kgs. 5:10). —The number referred to in I. E.’s remark (מספר צאת) is the number of the revolutions each planet has completed since its creation. This number, he says, is unknown to all philosophers and astronomers; but if the era of the creation, which is generally adopted by the Jews, and which places the creation in the year 3760 before the commencement of the Christian era, is correct, it cannot be difficult to find the number of the revolutions of each planet. I. E. seems, therefore, to doubt the correctness of the number 3760. He adds, however, another explanation, referring the number to the fixed stars, which, in fact, no man was ever able to count, nor did any ever profess to be able.</i> It is, however, possible, that the prophet refers to the number of stars in the highest sphere,58<i class="footnote">Each of the planets is considered to move in and by a certain sphere (גלגל) ; there are seven spheres for the seven (then known) planets; another for the Zodiac, and the ninth for the other fixed stars, which is most distant from or highest above the earth. See c. vi. Note 5.</i> which no man, however wise, is able to tell. 
  <i>By the greatness of might,</i> which He possesses; <i>and for that He is strong in power,</i>
  <i>not one faileth</i> to be numbered, or to preserve its substance; for no star is ever annihilated. איש signifies here an individual; comp. והאיש גבריאל (Dan. 9:21).59<i class="footnote">The proof is here taken from איש being used to signify an angel; an angel is not a human being; איש, our author concludes, must therefore have the more general meaning an individual, a being.</i>
  
  Verse 27
  
  <i>My way is hid from the Lord,</i> that is, He does not see what I am doing. The same idea is contained in the words which follow: <i>And my judgment passeth away from my God,</i> that is, He will not judge me according to my way.
  
  Verse 28
  
  הלא ידעת <i>Hast thou not known</i> by common sense; for he who is thinking can attain a knowledge of his Creator by convincing proofs.
  אם לא שמעת <i>Hast thou not heard,</i> and learnt from others, who have studied.60<i class="footnote">See Note 49.</i> 
  <i>The everlasting God</i>. As He was, so He will always be, without alteration.
  בורא <i>Creator.</i> I have explained already (Gen. 1:1), that ברא literally means to cut.61<i class="footnote">I. E. repeatedly remarks, that ברא means (1) to shape, to produce a thing from a given substance (2) : (להוציא יש מיש) to decree, or to decide: both meanings he derives from גזר=ברא to cut. Most of the commentators explain ברא to mean הוציא יש מאין to produce a thing from nothing. According to I. E. God created first the indefinite substance, and in the six days of creation he shaped it, as described in the first chapter of Genesis. Comp. Philo De mundi opificio.</i> <i>The ends of the earth.</i> The horizon, which is, according to the opinion of scientific men, no real line. Since God is eternal,—the earth can testify it, which he keeps continually in the midst of the spheres, although it rests on nothing62<i class="footnote">בלימה is a compound, consisting of בלי and מה without anything, and is exclusively used in this connection. Comp. חולה ארץ על בליטה and hangeth the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7).</i>—
  <i>He fainteth not, neither is He weary, and there is no searching of His understanding;</i> consequently, His might and wisdom will never depart from Him. 
  Some say, that the phrase my way is hid, refers to the troubles which the Israelites have to suffer, and which they imagine to be either unknown to the Almighty, or of such a nature, that even if He knew them, He could not remove them.63<i class="footnote">The reply to the first objection, the troubles are unknown to Him is contained in the words and there is no searching of His understanding; to the second objection, He cannot help, the reply is given; He fainteth not, neither is He weary.</i>
  
  Verse 29
  
  <i>He giveth power,</i> etc. How can He be weary, if He gives power to the faint, and strengthens him that is without strength. עָצְמָה <i>Strength.</i> It is a noun similar in form to חָבְמָה wisdom.
  
  Verse 30
  
  <i>Even the youths</i> who have strength, <i>faint,</i> etc.
  
  Verse 31
  
  יחליפו כח <i>Shall renew their strength.</i> Before one power is exhausted, the other is prepared for them by the Almighty. Comp. if it be cut down, (יחליף) it will sprout again (Job. 14:7). In Arabic this word has a similar meaning.64<i class="footnote">خَلَفَ Successor alicujus fuit; خَلِيفَةٌ Khalif. (Freytag, Lex. Arab. Lat.)</i>
  אבר <i>Wing</i>. Comp. Ps. 55:7.—The sense of the whole verse seems to be this: The Israelites that trusted in the Almighty will be strengthened by Him, and He will bring them back to Jerusalem; the Babylonians, who are now mighty, will be weakened.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  החרישו ושמעו אלי ═ החרישו אלי Be silent and listen unto me.1<i class="footnote">To join a preposition to a verb, which does not govern it, while the verb which governs it is omitted, is a construction known as constructio pregnans; as <i>e.g.</i> here, החרישו ושמעו אלי ═ החרישו אלי and להסיר אותה מעל ראש אפרים ולשום אותה על ר״ מנ״═ אפרים על ראש מנשה להסיר אותה מעל ראש to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. (Gen. 48:17). —A. V., Keep silence before me.</i> 
  <i>And let the people renew their strength,</i> if they can. 
  <i>Let them come near,</i> after having renewed their strength. <i>Then let them speak, and let us come near together to judgment,</i> to know, who is the mighty.
  
  Verse 2
  
  ממזרח <i>The man from the east.</i>2<i class="footnote">A. V., (Who raised up the righteous man) from the East.</i> The ancients refer this expression to Abraham, who defeated the kings (Gen. xiv.), and broke the idols;2a<i class="footnote">Comp. Bereshith Rabba, xxxviii.</i> especially because of the words the seed of Abraham, my friend, (ver. 8). This is not impossible, but I refer it rather to Cyrus; because all these chapters are connected by their contents; comp. calling a ravenous bird from the east (46:11) and I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come; from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name (41:25); besides, the name of Cyrus is distinctly mentioned 44:28 and 45:1. 
  <i>From the east,</i> Elam was north-east of Babylon.3<i class="footnote">Modern geographers describe Elam as rather to the south-east of Babylon. See c. xiii. Note 7.</i> 
  יקראהו He shall meet it or it shall meet him.4<i class="footnote">A. V., Called him.—קראִ means to call; קרה to meet; but this distinction is often neglected, and the two verbs seem to be used indiscriminately.</i> לרגלו <i>To his foot.</i> Wherever he goes.
  ומלכים ירד <i>He will appoint rulers over hings.</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., And made him rule over kings.</i> יַרְדְּ is Hiphil; he will cause to rule; comp. (the Kal) וירר and he shall have dominion (Num. 24:19) 
  יתן כעפר חרבו he will turn his sword into dust, that is, the sword of every other king. Others explain it: he will make his swords as numerous as the dust,6<i class="footnote">A. V., He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.</i> and his arrows shall fly about as thickly as stubble driven by the wind.
  
  Verse 3
  
  ירדפם <i>He will pursue them,</i>7<i class="footnote">A. V., He pursued them.</i> the kings. <i>And pass in peace,</i> that is, without weariness. ארח ברגליו לא יבוא As if he had not at all gone that path with his feet.8<i class="footnote">That is, As if he had not had the exertion of travelling so far.—A. V., Even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  עשה <i>Hath prepared</i>.9<i class="footnote">A. V., And hath done.</i> Comp. לעשות to dress (Gen. 18:7). Who has done this? God has done it, who is calling the generations from the beginning, before they come into existence; who knows all future generations, and cites each of them to appear in its right time. 
  <i>The first</i> of all generations that have hitherto existed. <i>And with the last,</i> with the last generations.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>The isles saw</i> the victory of Cyrus.
  <i>They drew near.</i> Those events drew near.
  ויאתיון <i>And came.</i> It is here written like a perfect verb; the third radical ה is replaced by י.10<i class="footnote">The usual form is ויאתו, the third radical (ה) being entirely omitted.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>They help</i>11<i class="footnote">A. V., They helped.</i> <i>every one,</i> etc. All islands, all men, and all nations are now more anxious to worship idols, believing that they can thus be delivered out of the hands of Cyrus.
  
  Verse 7
  
  מחליק <i>He that smootheth.</i> Comp. חלק smooth (Gen. 27:11).
  פטיש <i>Hammer.</i> A well known instrument11a<i class="footnote">It seems as if I. E. being here at a loss to find for פטיש another expression, which, being better known, could serve as an illustration, satisfied himself with the statement, that the same instrument is meant here by פטיש, which is well known by that name. It is also possible that the necessity of explaining הלם פעם elicited also a word on פטיש. Comp. c. v. Note 21, and I. E. on 34:11, Note 17.</i> Comp. Jer. 23:29. 
  הלם It is a noun derived from הלם to beat; comp. והלמה and she smote; it signifies the iron which is wrought by beating with the hammer. פעם The iron block, upon which the iron is hammered : the anvil; it is called פַעַם because of the beating upon it.12<i class="footnote">פָעַם to beat. פַעַם the foot, the step, the thing which is beaten, the anvil.</i> It is also possible that the two words פעם הלם together signify one instrument.13<i class="footnote">הלם פעם is according to this explanation analogous to אדמת עפר (Dan.xii. 12), quoted repeatedly by I. E., since הלם has the same meaning as פעם to beat.—The construction of the sentence according to I. E. is not quite clear; it is not explained whether פטיש and הלם פעם both are in the objective case governed by מחליק (he that smootheth the hammer and the anvil) or פטיש is the subject of the sentence, הלם פעם being the objective case (the hammer smootheth the anvil); the rendering he that smootheth with the hammer is out of question; I. E. would then not have omitted to say בפטיש═פטיש.</i>
  אמר לדבק טוב הוא <i>Saying of the joining, It is good.</i>14<i class="footnote">A. V., It is ready for the sodering.</i> Till the joining is good.15<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to explain here the words Saying of the joining, etc.═Till he is able to say of the joining, etc.═ till the joining is good.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>But thou, Israel,</i> etc. Those are worshippers of idols, says the prophet, but thou, Israel, art my servant; the name of Abraham is mentioned here, because he also was taken out from the midst of idolaters.
  אהבי <i>Who loved me</i>.16<i class="footnote">A. V., My friend.</i> It is not the same as אהובי who is loved by me, the former being active, the latter passive.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>From the ends of the earth.</i> The Israelites were in Babylon, far away from their own land.
  ומאציליה <i>And from the chief men thereof,</i> who are distinguished from the rest;17<i class="footnote">אצל to be on the side. Hi. to set aside, to separate, to distinguish. אציל adj. distinguished, noble, chief.</i> comp. ואצלתי and I will take (Num. xi. אצילי .(17 . the nobles of (Ex. 24:11). ומאציליה can also be explained from between her arms.18<i class="footnote">Comp. אצילי armholes (Ez. 13:18.)</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  תשתע The second ת is the characteristic of the Hithpael, correctly put after the first radical. אל תשתע <i>Do not turn away.</i>19<i class="footnote">See c. xvii. Note 11; c. xxii. Note 4.</i>19<i class="footnote">See c. xvii. Note 11; c. xxii. Note 4.</i> Comp. שעו מני turn away from me. (22:4)
  
  Verse 11
  
  הנחרים <i>They that were incensed.</i> It is the Niphal;20<i class="footnote">Of חרה to burn.21 To God all eternity is one indivisible whole. Time and space and their divisions are not in real existence, but postulates of and for our reason and imagination.</i> Comp. חרי lit. the burning; נחרו were angry (Song 1:6). The Babylonians are meant; when God punished and destroyed Babylon, He released His people, who returned home to their country with the permission of Cyrus.
  
  Verse 12
  
  מנצותך ═ מצותך Thy Contention. The נ is replaced by Dagesh in צ ; the form of the word is like that of מלקות. Comp. מצה strife (Prov. 17:19); ינצו strive together (Deut. 25:11).
  אפס Nothing.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>For I</i>, <i>the Lord</i>, etc. For this is a wonderful event, that Babylon was taken, that her armies were destroyed in their own land, and the Israelites remained unhurt.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Thou worm Jacob,</i> Israel had been considered by the Babylonians as worms. <i>Fear not,</i> that you will be killed together with the Babylonians.
  עזרתיך <i>I will help thee.</i> The future is here expressed by the past (עזרתיך), because all the divine decrees concerning the future, are considered as sure as if they were already fulfilled; besides the difference between past and future exists only with regard to created beings.21<i class="footnote">to God all all eternity is one indivisible whole. Time and space and their divisions are not in real existence, but postulates of and for our reason and imagination</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  למורג <i>A threshing instrument.</i> It is well known.22<i class="footnote">A.V., "Sharp."</i> Comp. המוריגים threshing instruments (2 Sam. 24:22).
  חרוץ <i>Decreed by law.</i>22<i class="footnote">A. V., Sharp.</i> Comp. חרצת thou hast decreed (1 Kings 20:40). It is not surprising to find here the word ישראל used as a masculine and feminine noun in one verse;23<i class="footnote">Comp. c. xv. Note 12.</i> it is used as feminine, as far as ערה congregation is understood, but it is not a feminine noun itself. 
  <i>Mountains,</i> A figurative expression for the Babylonians.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Thou shalt scatter them,</i> etc. This verse indicates that the greater part of the Babylonians will perish, and also that the Israelites will take their spoil.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>The poor,</i> etc. In their return from Babylon to Jerusalem.
  נשתה <i>Faileth.</i> Comp. ונשתו and shall fail (19:5).
  <i>The God of Israel,</i> I (אני) of the preceding, refers to this sentence also, and is to be supplied before the God, as is often the case.
  
  Verse 18
  
  שפים <i>High places.</i> It is the opposite of בקעות valleys. This also is wonderful, that rivers will be found on high places.
  מדבר <i>Wilderness.</i> A plain that is not inhabited.24<i class="footnote">I. E. seems here to be of opinion, that מדבר means originally a plain, an oasis (lit. a place whither the flock is led to be fed, from דבר to lead); but is used also to signify the wilderness, the desert (usually a vast plain, containing oases ; comp. Ex. 3:1). Otherwise his remark would be superfluous.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  ארז שטה <i>The cedar, the shittah tree.</i> Asyndeton, like ירח שמש the sun, the moon (Hab. 3:10), 
  תדהר ותאשור. Names of trees. All these trees grow about rivers; they do not grow where there is a want of water.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>That they may see,</i> etc. That the poor may see with their own eyes, and take it to heart. 
  בראה According to my opinion, hath shaped it; according to others, hath created it, that is, has brought it from non-existence into existence, but not from one form of existence into another.25<i class="footnote">See c. xl. Note 61.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  קרבו Produce. It is imperative Piel after the form of ברכו praise (Jud. 5:2).
  עצומותיכם <i>Your disputes,</i>26<i class="footnote">A. V., Your strong reasons. Mighty.</i>26<i class="footnote">A. V., Your strong reasons. Mighty.</i> Comp. עצומים quarreling (Prov. 18:18). It would, however, not be wrong to explain עצומותיכם your strong reasons, as the plural of the adjective עצום mighty, strong.27<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words תאר הרבים, which seems to mean adj. plur.; but I. E. in similar cases, generally adds the remark, that the phrase is elliptical, and that such and such a noun must be supplied; (here טענות pleadings or מלות words). It is therefore not unlikely that we must not read תאר הׇרַבּׅים but תאֽר הׇרׇבׅים an attribute to רׇבׅים ‘men that quarrel,’ which is understood. In that case the remark refers to עצומים and leaves it to the reader to apply the same proceeding to עצומותיכם.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>Let them bring forth,</i> their idols. 
  The imperative produce is addressed to those Israelites, who did not trust in God, but worshipped idols even in Babylon; they are told to produce (ריבכם) their cause, that is, their evidence, to show which is the righteous side. The imperative shew הגידו is addressed to the idols.28<i class="footnote">In some editions this remark is affixed to the word הגידו of the next verse, but it is more probable that it is intended for this verse, since there is no reason why we should refer the second הגידו to the idols and not also the first.</i>
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  האתיות <i>Theat things that are to come.</i> Comp. אתה cometh (21:12).
  לאחור <i>hereafter</i> it is the opposite of לפנים (Ruth 4:7). <i>And know</i> etc. We shall then know that you have power to do good or evil.&lt;
  ונשתעה <i>that we may relate</i>. 29<i class="footnote">A.V., "That we may be dismayed."</i> Comp. ואשתעי the Chaldean translation of ויספר "and he related" (Ex. 48:18). Some explain it "and we shall turn unto it,"30<i class="footnote">See Note 19.</i> and compare it with אל תשתע do not turn away.
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>Ye</i>. The idols are adressed.
  מאפע <i>of nothing</i>. It is hap. leg.
  תועבה=איש תועבה "An abominable man," or it is the same as תועבה "for an abomination." יבחר בכם <i>Chooseth you,</i> for worship.
  
  Verse 25
  
  העירותי <i>I have raised.</i> The Pathah31<i class="footnote">This rule is expressed in the first chapter of I. E.’s Safah Berurah: ע״ין הוא נרחב ויהחיב אשר לפניו. The ע prefers Pathah (lit., a wide vowel), and changes the preceding vowel (or Sheva) into Pathah or Kamez. The same is generally the case with all the gutturals.</i> under ה is caused by the ע which follows. 
  <i>From the north,</i> Elam was north-east of Babylon.32<i class="footnote">See Note 3.</i> The word איש a man must be supplied : I have raised up a man from the north; Cyrus is meant.
  ויאת <i>And he came.</i>33<i class="footnote">A. V., And he shall come.</i> It is an irregular form, because of the first and third radical (א and ה) being weak letters; it would have been of the form וַיׅפֶן, but the א being silent, the Hirek under י is changed into Pathah as is usually the case with gutturals;34<i class="footnote">See Note 31.</i> ויאת is Kal.
  <i>And he shall come upon princes,</i> etc. He shall come into the land or the camp of princes, and tread upon them, <i>as upon mortar</i>.
  
  Verse 26
  
  צדיק <i>He is righteous.</i> His words are true; it is the opposite of כזב false.
  <i>Behold, there is none that showeth,</i> none that heareth the words of the idols; for they have mouths but speak not (Ps. 115:5)
  
  Verse 27
  
  <i>The first.</i> The first relatively;35<i class="footnote">The first in an absolute sense, can only be applied to God; I. E. therefore explains the word ראשון here by ראשון אחר ראשון lit. the first after another first, that is, the first relatively.</i> it is the attribute to מבשר one that bringeth good tidings, which is to be supplied. 
  הנה הם ═ הנם <i>Behold them.</i> These are the words which the messenger will say to Zion, behold there they are. The repetition of הנה behold is to indicate the speediness of the appreach.
  
  Verse 28
  
  <i>For I beheld and there was no man</i> of the idolaters that could tell this.
  
  Verse 29
  
  <i>They.</i> The idols.
  אין ═ און nothing as some explain ; the letters אֹ הֹ וֹ יֹ interchange. It can, however, also be taken literally.36<i class="footnote">There is hardly any difference between the two explanations, since און in the meaning vain must ultimately be derived from אין nothing.</i> The meaning of the verse is, they are vanity, much more so their works.37<i class="footnote">I. E. here again neglects the accents, which demand the following rendering: Behold, all of them! their works are vain, nothing.</i> 
  נסכיהם According to some their images; comp. עגל מסכה molten calf (Ex. 32:4). I explain it their libations, that is, the libations which the idolaters offer to their idols.38<i class="footnote">The parallelism of the verse demands for נסכיהם a rendering similar in meaning to מעשיהם their works. If therefore the former is correctly rendered drink-offerings, the latter must refer to sacrifices, to which, however, the remark of I. E. they themselves are vain, how much more their works cannot be applied. The author seems here to have neglected the rule of the parallelism which he repeatedly recommends, without any necessity; for נסך admits also the meaning to weave to form, and מעשה ═ נֶסֶך the work ; comp. I. E. on Ex. 32:4.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>My servant.</i> Most of the commentators refer this expression to the pious Israelites; the Gaon to Cyrus; I to the prophet, who speaks here of himself, as in 49:6. 
  <i>My spirit</i> of prophecy.
  <i>He shall bring forth judgment.</i> He shall proclaim all that which shall happen in future to all nations. According to the Gaon the prophet indicates by this phrase that Cyrus will be a righteous king.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>He shall not cry,</i> as the judge is used to do.1<i class="footnote">Comp. Kimchi ad locum: The judge addresses the accused in a loud and harsh tone, in order the better to impress him with the sense of his authority.</i> <i>Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street,</i> in order that people should flock unto him.1a<i class="footnote">People will flock unto him spontaneously.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>A bruised reed.</i> This is a prolepsis, like And stripped the naked of their clothing (Job 22:6). He will not break a reed, is figuratively said for he will not act by violence.
  ופשתה כהה לא יכבנה <i>And glimmering</i>2<i class="footnote">A. V., Smoking. Dark.—The literal translation according to I. E. on Lev. 13:6 is decreasing.</i>2<i class="footnote">A. V., Smoking. Dark.—The literal translation according to I. E. on Lev. 13:6 is decreasing.3<i class="footnote">He will not put out the (burning) flax, which will then be glimmering. The Hebrew text has the words עד שתהיה כהה which are identical in meaning with the preceding נקרא על סופו.</i></i> <i>flax shall he not quench.</i> Flax is easily put out. Glimmering flax is here a prolepsis. כהה thin; comp. כהה hath become smaller (Lev. 13:6). There is, however, some difference between these two words; that in Leviticus is a verb, the word used here is an adjective. The meaning of the whole verse is: The prophet does no harm to any nation by his prophecies; he is but proclaiming what is to come in future. 
  <i>He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.</i> The judgment upon each nation, as it is decreed by the Lord, is meant.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>He shall not fail.</i> The prophet shall not fail, with regard to the spirit, which is joined to his body.4<i class="footnote">The verb כהה lit. to decrease is according to the opinion of I. E. more properly referred to the properties and faculties inherent in the body, as <i>e.g.</i> in the preceding verse to the flame of the burning flax, while the verb רצץ to break points in fact more to the body itself.</i> 
  <i>Nor will he be broken,</i> with regard to his body. ירוץ is a verb ע״ע;5<i class="footnote">Root רצץ. The regular form of the fut. Kal is יׇרץׁ with active meaning, he win break; it is not quite clear from this remark of I. E. whether יָרוּץ is to be taken in the same sense, and the words לא ירוץ גופו are to be translated one will not break his body, or in a neuter sense: his body will not be broken; in the latter case it would perhaps be better to assume two roots: רצץ to break, and רוץ neuter to be broken.</i> comp. רצוץ broken (ver. 3); its form is like that of יָרוּז, doth sing (Prov. 29:6). The meaning of this phrase is6<i class="footnote">He shall not fail, nor will he be broken.</i>: The prophet shall not die, or he shall not be overcome by any violence of man.7<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation the phrase is to be taken more literally and referred to a premature death of the prophet, before he shall have completed his mission; according to the second it is to be taken more figuratively, and referred to the violent interference of the adversaries of the prophet in the faithful fulfilment of his divine mission.</i> Compare the similar phrase in the preceding verse. This latter explanation, I think, is the right one. 
  <i>Till he have set judgment in the earth</i>, till the truth of his prophecy be proved, and <i>isles shall wait for his law,</i> for the instruction contained in his prophecies; comp. 8:20, and my commentary thereon.
  
  Verse 5
  
  בורא שמים <i>He that shaped</i>8<i class="footnote">A. V., Created.</i> <i>the heavens.</i> There is a line, by which they are bordered.9<i class="footnote">The bordering line is probably the horizon. This remark of I. E. is intended to support the opinion that the verb ברא has the meaning to shape or to cut. By the bordering line the shape of the heavens is given; in that line they have been, as it were, cut. If, however, by שמים I. E. understands the spheres, the line must refer to the axis, which gives them a definite shape with regard to form and magnitude.</i> 
  <i>And stretched them out over</i> the earth; comp. רקיע expanse (Gen. 1:6).
  רוקע <i>He that spread forth.</i> ק has Pathah because of the ע which follows; comp. הנוטע he who planted (Psa. 94:9).
  <i>And that which cometh out of it.</i> The plants which grow upon the surface of the earth.
  לעם עליה נותן נשמה <i>He that giveth a soul10<i class="footnote">A. V., Breath.</i> unto the people upon it,</i> that is, to man.
  ורוח להלכים בה <i>And breath</i>10a<i class="footnote">A. V., Spirit.</i> <i>to them that walk therein,</i> that is, to the animals.11<i class="footnote">According to I. E. נשמה the soul or more properly intellectual faculties is peculiar to man, but רוח and נפש the sensitive and appetititive capacities he has in common with other animals. Comp. his remark on 26:9. Note 9.</i> 
  Upon it is used in the first instance, because man walks upright.12<i class="footnote">I. E. calls our attention to the distinction indicated by the prophet in using the two different prepositions, על upon, above, and ב in; the former indicating the rising above the surface of the earth, the latter, the closer attachment to it.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>I, the Lord, have called thee,</i> etc. The Lord in these words addresses the prophet upon his own concerns. 
  <i>And I will keep thee,</i> that no evil shall befall thee. 
  <i>For a covenant of a people.</i> To establish the covenant of a people ; comp. 49:8
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>To bring out the prisoners,</i> etc. To tell Israel that they shall be delivered out of the Babylonian exile. Comp. 49:9
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>That is my name,</i> my real name.13<i class="footnote">The Tetragrammaton is called שם הנכבר the honoured name or the honourable name. Sometimes it is called שם עצם the proper name, because this name alone always signifies the Almighty, while all other names of God admit of other significations.</i> Besides the tetragrammaton there is no other proper name of God in the Scripture. <i>And my glory,</i> that I tell the prophet what is to come, and that he reveals them in my name to honour me. ולא תהלתי═ותהלתי. The negative לא not of the preceding phrase לא אתן, refers to this one also.
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Sing unto the Lord,</i> etc. The prophet addresses the people in these words.14<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has דברי הנביא lit., the words of the prophet. This phrase is to be compared with the corresponding one : שאמר לו השם בעד נפשו אלה דברי הנביא The Lord addresses with these words the prophet upon his own concerns (ver. 6.) I. E. intends here to say: These are the words with which the prophet is to address the people.</i> <i>They</i>14a<i class="footnote">A. V., Ye.</i> <i>that go down to the</i> sea, etc. For15<i class="footnote">The prophet exhorts the Israelites to praise God, for all other nations will do the same, when they shall hear of the wonderful deliverance of the Israelites, though not directly concerned in it.</i> all the people of the earth16<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words אנשי היבשה people of the continent. But there seems to be no logical connection between the sentence all inhabitants of the continent will praise God, and the sequence therefore Kedar is mentioned together with the inhabitants of the isles, and those that go down to the sea. The word והים and of the sea must probably be supplied after היבשה : All the people on land and on water, etc., or, as given in the translation, all the people of the earth will praise God. This is the explanation of the words of our prophet: תהלתו מקצה הארץ his praise from the end of the earth, that is, from all parts of the earth.—The conclusion of this remark בשמעם זה הפלא seems to be in the wrong place, and is to be connected with the words יתנו שבח לשם will praise God. In the translation this has been indicated by the signs of a parenthesis.</i> will praise God at the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile (Kedar is therefore mentioned together with the inhabitants of the isles, and those that go down to the sea17<i class="footnote">The inhabitants of the isles, and those on ship-board represent the one part of the inhabitants of the earth, the Kedarites are the representatives of the others, of the continental peoples. (See next verse).</i>), when they hear of this extraordinary event.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>The plain and the cities thereof shall lift up their</i> voice,18<i class="footnote">A. V., Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice.</i> etc. 
  Every plain and the cities thereof, all villages which are inhabited by Kedar, etc.; the tribe of Kedar always lived in the plain.19<i class="footnote">The name of Kedar may therefore fairly be used to signify the continental people. They were, in fact, never known as a seagoing nation.</i> <i>The inhabitants of the rock,</i> the nations that live in the rocks.
  ירנו <i>Shall shout.</i> Comp. הרנה the cry (1 Kings 22:36).
  יצוהו <i>Shall lift up their voice.</i> It is used both in a good and a bad sense. Comp. צוחה crying (24:11).20<i class="footnote">Here it is used in a good sense, but in the passage quoted (24:11) in a bad one.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>They will give glory</i>, etc. They will acknowledge that God has done great things, and will say as follows :
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The Lord shall go forth,</i> that is, the divine decrees, that were secret hitherto, shall now be revealed. 
  <i>Jealousy</i> because of the Babylonians, that worship Bel.
  יריע <i>He shall cry.</i> Comp. תרועה shout (Jos. 6:5).
  יצריח <i>He shall roar.</i> Comp. צורח crying (Zeph. 1:14), though of a different conjugation.21<i class="footnote">צורה is Participle Kal, יצריח is Future Hiphil.</i> 
  <i>He shall show Himself mighty</i>22<i class="footnote">A. V., He shall prevail.</i> by the victory over Babylon.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>I have long time,</i> etc. The first person refers to God.
  החשתי <i>I have holden my peace.</i> Comp. החשו hold ye your peace (2 Kings 2:3).
  אתאפק <i>I refrained myself.</i> Comp. להתאפק refrain himself (Gen. 45:1).
  אפעה <i>Will I cry.</i> Hap. leg. According to some it means viper, and כיולדה אפעה וגוי is explained by them as follows : like one that beareth a viper, so shall I be desolate and sighing at once.
  אשם <i>I shall be desolate.</i>23<i class="footnote">A. V., I will destroy.</i> It is Niphal of a verb ע׳׳ע (שמם).
  אשאף <i>I shall sigh.</i>24<i class="footnote">A. V., I will devour.—According to I. E. the verb שאף signifies the ardent longing shown by frequent short breathing (comp. I. E. on Eccl. i., 5). The meaning of the phrase is accordingly, that God waits long before He punishes the enemies of Israel, but then he shows, as it were, eagerness to help His chosen people.</i> Comp. שואף sighing (Eccles. 1:5). אשם Refers to the feeling of the heart, אשאף to the utterance of the mouth. This verse is addressed to those who will assert, that God is unable to help His people.25<i class="footnote">According to R. Moses Hakkohen, from the Babylonian exile; according to I. E. from the present exile. That I. E. had the latter more in view, he indicated by the use of the future שיהיו חושבים they will be believing.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>I will make waste,</i> etc. How can they think26<i class="footnote">The form חשבו is to be emended into the future יחשבו ; as may be inferred from the succeeding future והלא יראו.</i> thus? Do they not see, that I lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs, and make rivers into islands, that people can dwell therein.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;</i> for 27<i class="footnote">The blind are supposed not to know any way; I. E. thinks it therefore necessary to point out that they sometimes know their way.</i> even the blind, if accustomed to a path, go there without a guide. <i>I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.</i> Some28<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has ישוח, which is either a corruption of יש some, or a proper name. Comp. also c. xl. Note 1.</i> refer this to the return of the Israelites from Babylon.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>They shall be turned back,</i> etc., for I have the power to do as I like, not so the idols.
  מסכה <i>Molten images</i>.29<i class="footnote">The singular may be rendered by a plural form, and also be considered as a plural for the grammatical construction, if the context shows that the word is to be taken in a collective sense. The form of the fem. sing. is often the sign of a collective noun. I. E., however, prefers to explain the construction by the assumption of an ellipsis.</i> The plural פסלי images must be supplied from the preceding phrase, because of the pronoun אַתֶּם ye which follows.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>Ye deaf</i> etc. Hearing and seeing originate in the heart; those that are deaf and blind in their hearts are, therefore, called here deaf and blind.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>Who is blind,</i> etc. This verse proves the correctness of my explanation.30<i class="footnote">As to the prophet’s being mocked by his audience, and the redemption of the Jews from Babylon being at the same time his deliverance from his own personal sufferings and troubles, see Introduction, and I. E. on c. xl. Note 1.</i> 
  You are blind who say that none is so blind as the prophet.
  כמלאכי <i>As my messenger.</i> Comp. חגי מלאך יי Haggai, the messenger of the Lord (Hag. 1:13).30a<i class="footnote">This quotation is to show that the prophet is sometimes called מלאך the angel of the Lord.</i>
  כמשלם <i>As he that is righteous.</i>31<i class="footnote">A. V., Prophet.</i> Comp. ישולם is recompensed (Prov. 11:31) ; שַׁלֵּם to pay (Exod. 22:5); פשלם lit., he who is recompensed, that is, the righteous. 
  <i>As the servant of the Lord,</i> who, though not a prophet, serves God.
  
  Verse 20
  
  ראות <i>Seeing.</i> It is an irregular form; it is a combination of the two infinitives, the construct (רְאׁת) and the absolute (רׇאׁה). The meaning of the verse is: they will perceive many words of God, but their soul or eye will not retain them ; their ears will be open, they will not be closed, and still, strange to say, they will not hear.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>The Lord is well pleased,</i> that they do not see; He will show His justice and exalt His law, so that all those that forsake it shall be afraid. This verse may also31a<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has אז which is a corruption of או or ; for in the succeeding words a second explanation is contained. According to the first explanation the תורה law, that is to be exalted, is the divine law, described in the Pentateuch; according to the second it is the message which this prophet brought from the Lord, concerning the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile.</i> be connected with the next, thus : God showed His justice, and made those, that said of the prophet, that he is blind, robbed and spoiled, etc.
  
  Verse 22
  
  שסוי <i>Spoiled.</i> This is a verb .שסה) ל׳׳ה) Comp. שוסים spoiling (1 Sam. 23:1).
  הפח <i>Breathing.</i> It is infinitive and has the same meaning as נפח, though of a different root (פוח).
  בחורים <i>In holes.</i> Comp. חור hole (11:8). They are imprisoned, occupying the lowest dungeons of all the captives. 
  הׇשַׁב The Pathah is substituted for Zeré because the word is the end of the verse ; השב is transitive, and means restore, namely the spoil.
  <i>Who among you will tell</i>32<i class="footnote">Our editions have יאזין will give ear; but I. E. reads instead יגיד will tell.</i> <i>this,</i> will tell things like those which the prophet, whom you declared to be blind, proclaimed. לאחור <i>For the time to come.</i> Comp. תאחרו you keep me waiting33<i class="footnote">A. V., Hinder me not.</i> (Gen. 24:56); 
  לפנים in former time is derived from פנה it has turned away ; it is gone.
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>Who gave Jacob,</i> etc. Then the people will confess and say: who has given us for a spoil? Certainly the Lord, it is He (זה═זו this), against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways our forefathers refused to walk.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>Upon him.</i> Comp. Gen. 49:22.34<i class="footnote">The peculiarity of a noun, pronoun or verb in the singular being referred to a noun in the plural is explained here; as <i>e.g.</i> עליו upon him, after the plural לא שמעו ,לא אבו they would not, they were not obedient, and צעדה she runs after בנות branches. (Gen. 49:22.) Comp. c. ii. Note 18.</i> Upon every one of our forefathers. 
  חמה חמת אפו═חמה אפו The fury, the fury of His anger, Comp. האהלה אהל שרה ══ האהלה שרה into the tent, the tent of Sarah (Gen. 24:67).
  ותלהטהו <i>And it burned him.</i> Comp. להט flame (Gen. 3:24).—They will confess that their forefathers were blind with regard to their hearts, and had no understanding.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>But now,</i> etc. Now, says the prophet, since you have confessed, God will redeem you. 
  <i>I have called you by My name.</i> I have given you a great distinction; comp. I have called by name Bezaleel (Ex. 31:2); and the distinction is further described in the words thou art mine.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>When thou passest through the waters,</i> etc. The peoples1<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has השרים the princes, but they are compared neither with rivers nor with fire (comp. I. E. on Num. 21:28); the translation is based on the conjecture, that השרים is a corruption of העמים.</i> are in Scripture compared with rivers and also with fire; comp. A fire is gone out of Heshbon (Num. 21:28). By the waters and the fire the armies of Persia and Media are meant, that were to conquer Babylon.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>I gave Egypt for thy ransom.</i> The Egyptians shall be afflicted by the kings of Media.2<i class="footnote">Media is here identical with Media and Persia. Kambyses, king of Persia, conquered Egypt 625 B.C.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Therefore will I give men</i>, whom I have created, as I have created thee.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>From the east.</i> From Babylon.2a<i class="footnote">According to I. E. on c. 49:12, Babylon is in the north of Palestine; but in reality it may be considered as north-east of Jerusalem.</i> 
  <i>From the west.</i> From Egypt and Assyria.3<i class="footnote">Assyria is described as in the west of Palestine, and identical with Ethiopia; comp. 18:1, Note 3, and 49:12.</i> Comp. Ezr. 6:22.4<i class="footnote">The words referred to are: And turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God. It is difficult to find out what I. E. intended to prove by this quotation, since it does not give us the least information concerning the position of Assyria. He means perhaps to show that the name of Assyria was not limited to the kingdom of Nineveh, since in the time of Ezra the latter kingdom had ceased to exist.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Give up</i> my children.
  ולתימן <i>And to the south,</i> תימן is derived from ימין the right.—He will bring them together from the four corners of the earth. 
  <i>My sons, my daughters.</i> The males and females.
  
  Verse 7
  
  קורא ═ נקרא that calleth, as some explain; but this is wrong. It is to be taken literally.5<i class="footnote">That is, in a passive sense, which is indicated by the form of the Niphal.</i> <i>Every one that is called by my name,</i> that is, all that belong to the people of the Lord. 
  <i>And for my glory.</i> To be a glory to my name.
  בראתיו <i>I have formed it,</i>6<i class="footnote">A. V., I have created him.</i> namely, that nation. 
  עשיתיו I have established it.7<i class="footnote">A. V., I have made him.</i>—R<i>.</i> Salomo, the father of metrical poetry in Hebrew,8<i class="footnote">R. Salomo Ibn Gebirol, who is believed to be the first Hebrew poet who wrote whole works in metrical verses. See Zahoth, On Metre.</i> explained this verse to contain the principles of the creation of the universe ; but this explanation is not in accordance with the context.9<i class="footnote">According to I. E. this verse is in apposition to בני my sons and בנותי my daughters of the preceding verse, and refers to the Israelites ; the three verbs not differing essentially from each other. According to R. Joseph. Sephardi, Super-commentator of I. E., On the Pentateuch (Gen. 2:4), I. E. refers these three verbs to the creation of matter, the creation of form, and the combination of both. But I. E. cannot be the author of this explanation, because it would overthrow his rendering of ברא, upon which he lays great stress. See c. xl. Note 61, and c. xlv. Note 6.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  הוציא <i>To bring forth,</i>10<i class="footnote">A. V., Bring forth.</i> It is infinitive. 
  <i>A blind people,</i> that were blind formerly, although they had eyes. Thus there is a connection between this and the preceding chapters.11<i class="footnote">The expression blind people recalls the same expression, used c. 42:18, of those who refuse to believe in the words of the prophet. The word פרשה is not coincident with the term chapter, but is used by I. E. rather in the sense of section, and is therefore translated by the plural chapters.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Let all the nations be gathered together,</i> etc. If some should say that the Israelites did not know these future events, for they were blind ; but of other nations and their wise men, some knew them perhaps, the question is put, <i>Who among them can declare this,</i> viz. that which shall happen in days to come, <i>and show us former things,</i> past events, which they had announced before they took place. 
  <i>Let them bring forth their witnesses,</i> that they may hear it.12<i class="footnote">The declaration that some one else, beside the prophet sent from the Lord, had announced events before they took place.</i>
  ויצדקו <i>that they may be justified</i> with regard to their words;12a<i class="footnote">That they foretold future events. I. E. adds this remark, in order to show that even then only the truth of their words may possibly be proved, but their actions, their idolatry, can never be justified.</i> <i>and</i>13<i class="footnote">A. V., Or.—I. E. refers the conclusion of the verse to the witnesses, so that the words וישמעו ויאמרו אמת are the explanation of עדיהם their witnesses. Others explain this phrase as the second alternative: or, if they are not able to produce witnesses, let them hear what the prophet says, and acknowledge that it is true.</i> 
  <i>let them hear,</i> that is, let the witnesses hear the same, 
  <i>and say, It is truth,</i> it was so.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Ye are my witnesses,</i> etc. Israel is addressed. <i>And my servant.</i> The prophet.
  <i>I am he.</i> This is the sublimest expression of the unity of God; for every other being is different from its real form.14<i class="footnote">Every creature is, according to the theory of I.E., produced after and by its abstract form in the spiritual world above, but being subject to accidents, it deviates from its abstract original, from its true and perfect form, and is, as it were, not truly itself. To God alone this is not applicable; He is, therefore, said to be Himself in truth, to be always the same.</i> 
  <i>Before me, after me.</i> According to some, before me means before the revelation on Sinai, and after me, after the revelation.15<i class="footnote">This explanation is intended to oppose the inference, which might be made from the words before me, after me, that God is not without beginning and end.</i> But it is not at all necessary to depart from the literal meaning of the words: No God was before me, and none will be after me, because God is the first and last. The expression formed (נוצר) is applied here to the word God, in order to imply that a god besides Him can only be one formed by man. Shortsighted people think, that the expression formed used in reference to the Creator, slipped out of the mouth of the prophet; but this is by no means the case ; such critics do not conceive the true meaning of the verse.15a<i class="footnote">That there is no God besides Him, not even one formed by Him.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>I, I.</i> The word is repeated, as if to say, I do not change as the host of heaven does with regard to its centre, nor as earthly things do with regard to substance and form; I can therefore help at every time.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>I have declared</i> in Egypt, to save you. 
  <i>And I have caused to hear</i>. I have caused you to hear my voice on Sinai.
  <i>There was no stranger among you.</i> The Israelites alone were there.
  <i>And you are my witnesses.</i> You were informed of it by your fathers.
  <i>And I am God</i> continually; comp. I am the Lord, I change not (Mal. 3:6)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>Before the day was,</i> etc. I was God before the existence of day. Therefore, the word גם yea is added. 
  מהיות יום:═מיום When day was not yet.
  <i>I am he</i>; and since I am God, who can be delivered out of my hand ;
  I do my desire and will, and none can frustrate my doing.
  
  Verse 14
  
  שלחתי <i>I was sent.</i>16<i class="footnote">A. V., I have sent.</i> Some think that the first person I refers to the prophet; but I am of opinion that God is speaking, because this verse begins, Thus saith the Lord, and the next verse, I am the Lord, The meaning of the phrase is: I have come so hastily, as if I were sent.17<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to have read שֻׁלַּחְתּׅי instead of שׁׅלַּחְתּׅי adopted in our printed Bibles.</i> A very learned man in Spain conjectures, that the Divine Glory,18<i class="footnote">The angels, according to I. E., being the uncorporeal first emanation from the divine Glory, are also called הכבוד the divine glory.</i> the same heavenly prince of Israel18a<i class="footnote">Comp. Dan. 10:20.</i> that has been sent to Babylon to redeem Israel, is speaking to the prophet.
  והורדתי בריחים <i>And have brought down the bars</i>19<i class="footnote">A. V., All their nobles.</i> of Babylon, that is, I caused Babylon to be conquered; comp. He hath destroyed and broken her bars (Lam, 2:9). The bars of the gates of the place are meant. 
  וכשדים באניות רנתם And I shall bring down the Chaldæans from their ships of joy, in which they are.20<i class="footnote">We have to supply the relative אשר before באניות ; lit.: And the Chaldæans. who are in the ships of their joy, scil., I shall bring down from those ships.—The meaning of the verse, according to I. E., is: Both the Babylonian land army and fleet will be utterly destroyed.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>Your holy one.</i> For I shall be your King, to save you.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Which maketh away in the sea.</i> This shows, that the fleet of the enemy will arrive and defeat the Babylonian fleet.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse,</i> תיל ועזוז <i>the great and powerful army</i>21<i class="footnote">According to I. E. עזוז is an adjective, meaning powerful, and co-ordinate to גדול great, which is implied in חיל. Comp. I. E. on 45:14.</i> on land; the army of the Chaldæans is meant, that went out to fight against the Persians. 
  דעכו It is Pual,21a<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to have read רֹּעֲכוּ instead of the Kal רׇּעֲכוּ comp. Ps. 118:12.</i> and means they are extinct; comp. ידעך shall be put out (Prov. 20:20)
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>Remember ye not</i> by words, the former wonders. 
  <i>Neither consider</i> them in your minds.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>A new thing.</i> The taking of Babylon, or the fact that the Israelites alone will escape; the latter seems the more probable explanation.22<i class="footnote">Because, in the first place, Babylon had been taken before by Sennacherib; secondly, the capture of a town does not appear to be a new thing, since many strongholds had been taken before, and this event could not be called by the prophet a new thing ; while it can more properly be said of the deliverance of the oppressed Israelites, who were in numbers and warfare inferior to all other nations.</i> <i>I will even make,</i> etc. I shall, besides, produce water in the wilderness for the benefit of those who will return from Babylon to Zion.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>The beast of the field shall honour me,</i> for the good which I am doing for it. The dragons are mentioned, because they live in the wilderness. <i>To give drink to my people.</i> I shall do this unto the beasts for the sake of my people.
  
  Verse 21
  
  זה ═ זו This. <i>This people,</i> that returns from Babylon, is mine.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>But thou hast not called me,</i> etc. All the good I do to the Israelites, I am not bound to do; for even the Israelites in Babylon have not sought me.
  כי יגעת בי <i>That thou be weary of me.</i>23<i class="footnote">A. V., But thou hast been weary of me.</i> Thou hast even not called me; how then shouldst thou be weary for my sake.
  ישראל <i>O Israel.</i> It is in the Vocative case.
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Thou hast not brought me</i> burnt offerings in Babylon.
  <i>Neither hast thou honoured me</i> (זבחיך) <i>with thy sacrifices,</i> with thy peace-offerings.24<i class="footnote">The word זבח is used in connection with שלמים to signify peace-offerings (Lev. 3:1), and as a complement of עולותיך, signifying all animal offerings except the holocaust (ib. 17:8), that is, peace and sin-offerings. The word occurring twice in &lt;underline&gt;this&lt;/underline&gt; passage, is therefore explained to refer each time to a different kind of sacrifice. I. E. refers it first to peace-offerings, probably because of the expression neither hast thou honoured me; believing that sin-offerings can never be an honour to the Almighty; they can only be the symbol of a compensation or a satisfaction for wrongs done as it were against the Almighty; this is properly expressed by the verb הרויתני thou hast satisfied me, or thou hast filled me.</i> <i>I have not caused,</i> etc. I have not asked thee to serve me with oblations. 
  <i>Nor wearied thee with incense,</i> to buy incense for me.
  
  Verse 24
  
  קנה בשם═קנה Sweet cane (Ex. 30:23).
  וחלב זבחיך <i>And with the fat of thy sacrifices,</i> of thy sin offerings.24<i class="footnote">The word זבח is used in connection with שלמים to signify peace-offerings (Lev. 3:1), and as a complement of עולותיך, signifying all animal offerings except the holocaust (ib. 17:8), that is, peace and sin-offerings. The word occurring twice in &lt;underline&gt;this&lt;/underline&gt; passage, is therefore explained to refer each time to a different kind of sacrifice. I. E. refers it first to peace-offerings, probably because of the expression neither hast thou honoured me; believing that sin-offerings can never be an honour to the Almighty; they can only be the symbol of a compensation or a satisfaction for wrongs done as it were against the Almighty; this is properly expressed by the verb הרויתני thou hast satisfied me, or thou hast filled me.</i> Supply the preposition ב with before חלב fat; comp. בששת═ששת in six (Ex. 20:11). 
  <i>But thou hast made me to serve.</i> This is an anthropomorphism. Through thy sins I was considered by the nations as a slave that has no authority; the same idea is contained in the words which follow: Thou hast wearied me, etc.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>For my sake,</i> that my name be not profaned, I shall blot out thy transgressions.
  
  Verse 26
  
  <i>Put me in remembrance,</i> etc. If thou reply that thou hast not sinned against me while being in thy land, and yet I have cast thee out, then put me in remembrance.
  נשפטה <i>Let us plead together.</i> Let us be ready for judgment.
  <i>Declare thou</i> thy cause, that thou mayest be justified.
  
  Verse 27
  
  <i>Thy first father hath sinned.</i> Jeroboam, when chosen by the Israelites, to be their king, without the consent of God.25<i class="footnote">This statement is not quite correct, since the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh told Jeroboam that God had appointed him to be king over ten tribes (1 Kgs. 11:29—39). The idolatry of Jeroboam should rather be pointed at by I. E.</i>
  ומליציך <i>And thy interpreters.</i>26<i class="footnote">A. V., And thy teachers.</i> Either the princes, the interpreters of the king, are meant, or the Levites, the interpreters of the priests. Some explain אביך by thy teachers. Comp. 2 Kgs. 12:13; Gen. 4:21; 45:8, and מליציך by thy pupils. As to מליץ interpreter, comp. Gen. 42:23
  
  Verse 28
  
  <i>The princes of the sanctuary.</i> The priests; comp. 1 Chron. 24:5
  <i>Yet now hear,</i> etc. This evil I have brought upon thee for thy wickedness, 
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  but now hear the good which I shall do unto thee.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>From the womb.</i> With this expression the prophet alludes to Jacob (comp. Hos. 12:4; in my commentary thereon I shall explain it),1<i class="footnote">I. E. takes the expression womb literally, and refers it to the incident recorded Gen. 25:26, in the account of the birth of Jacob and Esau.</i> or metaphorically to the time, when Israel was declared to be the people of the Lord.
  ישרון <i>Jesurun.</i> It is originally an adjective derived from ישר right; there is no other instance of this form.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>For I will pour water,</i> etc. As I pour water over the place that is thirsty, so will I pour out the spirit of my holiness, or of my salvation, etc. אֶצּׁק <i>I will pour out.</i> The Dagesh in צ compensates for the י which is omitted;2<i class="footnote">The root of אצק is יצק.</i> comp. אצרך I shall form thee (Jer. 1:5)
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And they shall spring up.</i> The pronoun they refers to My spirit, and My blessing, of the preceding verse; according to others3<i class="footnote">Comp. Rashi, ad locum; and Targum Jonathan.</i> to thine offspring. בבין חציר <i>Like grass.</i> Lit., between the grass, that is, as if they were between grass. They will increase and multiply.4<i class="footnote">This remark on בבין חציר is seemingly a continuation of the second explanation of And they shall spring up, but in reality it can also be connected with the first one.5 Comp. Rashi ad locum.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>One shall say,</i> etc. They will be numerous, and the majority of them will be faithful to God, and desirous of returning to His house. 
  <i>And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob,</i> in order to show to all nations, how proud he is of belonging to the holy people. 
  בידו═ידו With his hand. <i>And another shall subscribe unto the Lord,</i> that he is willing to go to the sanctuary of the Lord. 
  יכנה He will surname himself.—Many refer this verse to proselytes; comp. Ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you (Zec. 8:23)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>The King of Israel,</i> When the Israelites were in their own land. <i>And his redeemer,</i> when he is in exile. 
  <i>The Lord of hosts.</i> He is always king, and the hosts of heaven testify it. 
  <i>I am the first,</i> the first king.6<i class="footnote">I. E. explains ראשון by מלך ראשון the first king, because the context demands here rather the declaration that God is the King and Ruler of the universe, that every thing that happens is caused and commanded by Him, than a description of His Eternity.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>And who is like me,</i> that is, Who pretends to be like me. 
  יקרא Shall lift up his voice.7<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words כאמר קולו which appear to be a corruption of a phrase like הרמת קול the translation is based on this conjecture.</i> 
  <i>And shall declare it,</i> namely all that has passed.
  עם עולם <i>The ancient people.</i> עולם means here of old.
  ואתיות <i>And the things that are coming.</i> It is like a perfect verb.8<i class="footnote">The third radical ה of the verb אתה being replaced by י, I. E. seems to have overlooked the Dagesh in י, else he would have made some remark on it.</i> למו <i>For themselves,</i>9<i class="footnote">A. V., Unto them.</i> that is, in order to show that they know it.
  
  Verse 8
  
  אל תרהו <i>Be ye not afraid,</i> תרהו is hap. leg; those that identify it with תראו are wrong, on account of the absence of the radical י 10<i class="footnote">This is no good reason at all; since י of ירא to fear can in writing be well omitted in the future Kal; it is read תּׅ־רְאוּ to distinguish it from. תּׅרְאוּ you will see.—According to I. E. א and ה belong to those letters which interchange.</i>—
  Be not afraid, when those calamities befall Babylon. 
  <i>Have I not told thee</i> of it long ago? <i>Ye are even my witnesses,</i> and you will see whether there is a <i>God beside me; There is no God</i> בל ירעתי <i>whom I know not</i>11<i class="footnote">A. V., I know not any.</i> to be vain and powerless. According to some, whom I chastised not; comp. ויודע and he chastised12<i class="footnote">A. V., He taught.</i> (Jud. 8:16). I think that the prophet speaks here of the host of heaven.13<i class="footnote">In that case צור rock, protection, would signify the same as שׂר prince, used by Daniel 10:20. See I. E. on 24:21, Note 30.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>They that make a graven image, are all of them vanity.</i> They themselves as well as their images are vanity.
  וחמוריהם <i>And their delectable things.</i> The objects which they ornament with figures, that they be charming to the eye, namely the idols.14<i class="footnote">The word פסילים is not used here by I. E. in its general meaning idols; but in the special meaning assigned to it by I. E., stone images (40:19). The reason that I. E. refers חמודיהם to stone images is to be found in his desire to find system and symmetry in the words of the prophet. The images made of metal and wood being mentioned ver. 12 and ver. 13, the general term חמודיהם must be restricted to stone images, in order to have a complete picture of all kinds of idols.</i> 
  <i>And they are their</i>15<i class="footnote">A. V., Their own.</i> <i>witnesses,</i> to testify that the images see not, nor know. 
  <i>That they may be ashamed.</i> Connect this phrase with they are their witnesses.16<i class="footnote">That is, they shall be compelled to confess, to their own shame, that the idols in whose divine power they have believed hitherto, have no power whatever, not even that of man.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Who hath formed,</i> etc. Is there any thoughtlessness like this, to attempt to form a god? <i>God.</i> So called in the sense of him who formed the image.
  נסך <i>He hath molten.</i> Comp. מסכה molten (Jer. 7:5)
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>His fellows.</i> The priests of Baal, or the artificers of the idols; the latter explanation is the better.
  Let them <i>all be gathered together</i> and be ashamed.
  
  Verse 12
  
  חָרַשׁ <i>Smith.</i> In the construct state the ר has Pathah, in the absolute it has Kamez, without exception. 
  מעצר A cutting instrument of iron.17<i class="footnote">A. V., With the tongs.</i>
  מקבות <i>Borer.</i>18<i class="footnote">A. V., With hammers.</i> An instrument used for making a hole.
  יצרהו <i>He fashioneth it.</i> Comp. צורה form, or, what is still better, יצירה formation.19<i class="footnote">It can hardly be discovered, why I. E. gives the latter the preference. As to the meaning of the word there can be no difference whether it is compared with צורה or with יצירה, since the latter could in this instance only signify formation, not creation. With regard to the etymology there can be no doubt that the word is to be derived from יצר, and not from צור.</i> 
  <i>He is hungry.</i> The smith is hungry.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The carpenter,</i> etc. After having mentioned the mason and smith,20<i class="footnote">Ver. 9 and 12. Comp. Note 14.</i> he speaks of the carpenter. 
  <i>The carpenter stretches out his rule,</i> etc. This is just the mode of proceeding of those workmen. 
  יתארהו He forms it or he draws the outlines; comp. ותאר הגבול and the border was drawn (Jos. 15:9).
  שרד A kind of drug used for dying.21<i class="footnote">A. V., A line.</i> The word is hap. leg. יעשהו He finisheth it.22<i class="footnote">A. V., He fitteth it.</i>
  מקצעות <i>Rulers.</i>23<i class="footnote">A. V., With planes.</i> This is the opinion of R. Jonah.
  מחוגה <i>Compass.</i> Comp. חוג circle (40:22). It is an instrument used for drawing a circle.
  <i>According to the beauty of a man,</i> that is, the female, according to the opinion of some ; but I think that it is in reality only a repetition of the preceding idea.24<i class="footnote">Of כתבנית ארם after the figure of a man, which refers to man generally, without any distinction between the male and female sex.</i>
  לשבת בית <i>That it may remain in the house.</i> That it be like a man, who dwells in his house.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>He heweth him down cedars,</i> etc. Some cut the idols out of cedar wood, others of. תרזה <i>cypress.</i> It is the name of a tree. 
  ויאמץ לו And he planted it.25<i class="footnote">A. V., He strengtheneth for himself.—I. E. does not inform us how the verb ויאטץ comes to have the meaning and he planted. There is perhaps some omission or corruption in the Hebrew text.</i> 
  אורן It is either the name of a tree, or it means root.26<i class="footnote">A. V., An ash.—The connection between the word ארן and the meaning root, is not explained by I. E.</i>
  וגשם <i>And the stem.</i>27<i class="footnote">A. V., Rain.</i> Lit., the substance comp. גשמא in Chaldee, and in Arabic &lt;ara/&gt; body. According to others: rain ; the meaning of וגשם יגדל is then, and the rain will cause it to grow.
  
  Verse 15
  
  לבער <i>To bum. Then shall it be for a man,</i> etc. Some warm themselves by the fire, others kindle it, etc. ישיק <i>He kindleth it.</i> Comp. נשקה was kindled (Ps. Ixxviii. 21); the meaning of נשק is similar to that of בער to burn.
  ויסגד <i>And falleth down.</i> This word is frequently met with in Arabic and Chaldaic.27a<i class="footnote">The Targum usually renders השתחוה by סגד; in Arabic سجد to bow down: comp. يَسْجُدُونَ in the Arabian translation of Isaiah by R. Saadiah, 2:8. مَسْجَدََ Mosque.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  האח <i>Aha</i>. Interjection of joy; comp. Ps. 35:21.
  אור <i>Fire,</i> Comp. 31:9.
  ראיתי <i>I have seen.</i> It is to be taken literally. R. Saadiah explains it I enjoyed,28<i class="footnote">&lt;ara/&gt;</i> but he has no parallel instance to support his rendering.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>A god</i> according to his idea.
  <i>His image.</i> This is the explanation of the expression a god which precedes.
  
  Verse 18
  
  לא ידעו ולא יבינו <i>They have not known nor understood.</i> The seat of knowledge (רעת) is in those cavities of the brain that are nearer to the forehead; the understanding (בינה) is in the middle one, that is also in the middle of the head.29<i class="footnote">In his remark on Ex. 31:3, I. E. explains the three expressions ,חכמה ,תבונה, דעת to signify the receptive, discriminative and reproductive faculties of our mind, and assigns to each of them its special place in the brain.</i>
  טח <i>He hath shut.</i> Comp. וטח and he shall plaister (Lev, 14:42); it is a transitive verb; the Lord is understood as the subject to it.
  עיניהם <i>Their eyes.</i> The eye of each of them; this construction is not at all rare.30<i class="footnote">As to the explanation of it, see I. E. on 2:11, Note 18.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>His heart.</i> His intellect, which is the principal part of man. 
  במו=ב <i>In.</i> Comp. כמו=כ as (Ps. 58:10).
  ויתרו <i>And the residue thereof.</i>
  בול It is hap. leg.31<i class="footnote">Although we meet with the same word again in Job 40:20, but since according to I. E., it seems to have a different meaning, he calls it properly hap. leg.</i> It means, according to some authorities, an image, or a statue. R. Moses Hakkohen compares it with בול plant (Job 40:20).32<i class="footnote">A. V., Food. יבול═בול produce.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>He feedeth on ashes.</i> He is like a man who feedeth on ashes, that hurt and do no good. It may also be compared with Ephraim feedeth on wind (Hos. 12:2).33<i class="footnote">That is, he goes after vain things.</i>
  הותל <i>Foolish.</i>34<i class="footnote">A. V., Deceived.</i>34<i class="footnote">A. V., Deceived.</i> It i35<i class="footnote">The same remark as repeatedly made by I. E. concerning the substantive. See c. 9:3. Note 4.</i>s an adjective; the form of adjectives is not constant. The form of הותל is like that of מועדת out of joint (Prov.xxv. 19).
  לב הותל הטהו <i>A foolish</i> <i>heart hath turned him aside.</i>
  The verb הטה is always used in an unfavorable sense: to turn from the right way. As to the phrase אחרי רבים להטות (Ex. 23:2) I have given my opinion.36<i class="footnote">The remark referred to is the following: The principle of our Sages, to decide every question by majority, is right, but it is not based on the words אחרי רבים להטות (Exod. 23:2), as some believe, since להטות is <i>always</i> used in a bad sense (לגנאי). These words are only brought in connection with that rule לזכר, as a mnemonicon.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>Remember these,</i> those which I have done, when thou wast in thy land. 
  <i>For thou art my servant.</i> Since thou hast been my servant, confess thy former sins; I am desirous to keep thee as my servant.
  אתה <i>Thou</i>. Thou alone.37<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to connect, in accordance with the accents, עבל לי with יצרתיך ; I have formed thee that thou be a servant unto me. The addition of אתה is therefore explained by I. E., as a sign of emphasis.—A<i>.</i> V., I have formed thee, thou art my servant.</i> 
  תנשני is Niphal, and I think38<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to oppose his rendering of the phrase to that of others, who explain it in an active sense, thou shalt not forget me. Comp. Rashi ad locum.</i> that the meaning of לא תנשני is: Thou shalt not be forgotten of me. The meaning of the verse is: Remember me, and I will remember thee.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>As a thick cloud,</i> that passeth away; when the sun comes out, it is no more.
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Sing, 0 ye heavens,</i> etc. This is a figurative expression ; it means: great rejoicing will be through Israel, for through the redemption of Israel the glory of God will be revealed to the whole world.
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>That maketh all things,</i> which I desire; you may infer it from the fact, that I, by myself, stretch forth the heaven.
  מאתי <i>By myself.</i> Lit., from myself, that is, by my strength; for God is incorporeal.39<i class="footnote">The literal meaning of the words, That spreadeth abroad the earth from, myself might imply the idea that the earth has its origin materially in God; I. E. refutes this idea by substituting the figurative meaning from or with my strength.</i> It is written in two words, מי אתי. who is with me, which is the same as I alone. Consider well the words of the text: who <i>stretcheth</i>40<i class="footnote">The use of the present tense.</i>40<i class="footnote">The use of the present tense.</i> forth the heavens and <i>spreadeth</i> abroad the earth ; they teach us that it is God who is continually keeping heaven and earth in existence.
  
  Verse 25
  
  בדים <i>Liars.</i> Comp. בדיך thy lies (Job 11:3). More probably בדים is connected with בדד alone, and signifies such, persons as pretend to be able to emancipate their souls from, the influence of the body, which some in reality can do.40a<i class="footnote">The more the soul emancipates itself from the body, the closer is its union, with the pure intellect, with the original and fundamental ideas, and the wider and surer its knowledge. This state of emancipation is called by I. E. preparatian for inspiration. Comp. תמונות צורות ומראות בדבר השם ובהיות הנפש מכוונת לכבוד או תתחדש לה when the soul is prepared for the Divine Glory, then it receives new ideas, images, and visions by the word of the Lord. (Abridged Commentary on Exod. 23:21.)</i>
  וקוסמים <i>And astrologers.</i>41<i class="footnote">A. V., Diviners.</i> Lit., men that decide by reason, and say that and that will happen; while בדים foretell the future not by reasonable means.42<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on c. 3:2, and Note 3.</i> 
  <i>Wise men.</i> Persons, who divine from the liver or shoulder, and soothsayers.43<i class="footnote">From the context it may be inferred that by wise men the prophet meant diviners; but since two kinds of diviners ברים and קוסמים have already been mentioned, I. E. refers this general expression to other kinds, which are not included in these two names.</i>
  
  Verse 26
  
  His servant. The prophet himself.44<i class="footnote">I. E. here neglects the rule of the parallelism, which he repeatedly recommends; for that rule demands that עברו and מלאכיו should have the same meaning) and since the latter is a plural, signifying his messengers, עבדו is likewise to be taken in a collective sense, and referred not only to the one prophet who is here speaking, but to all prophets.</i> <i>The word of his servant,</i> that Jerusalem shall be inhabited.
  תושב <i>Thou shalt be inhabited.</i> Root ישב to dwell. Comp. תורד thou shalt be brought down (14:15) from ירד to go down.
  <i>Her decayed places.</i> The decayed places of every city,45<i class="footnote">The use of the singular her (הָ) after the plural the cities of Judah is explained in this remark. Comp. I. E. on c. 2:11, Note 18.</i> or of Jerusalem.45a<i class="footnote">Although the pronoun her is nearer to the cities of Judah, it may still agree with Jerusalem, which is mentioned first, because it is the most important, and may be considered as the representative, of all the cities of Judah.</i>
  
  Verse 27
  
  מצולה═צולה (Jon. 2:4) <i>The deep.</i> A figurative expression, signifying Babylon, that was full of men and wealth like the deep of the sea.46<i class="footnote">Which is full of water.</i>
  
  Verse 28
  
  <i>That saith to Cyrus,</i> etc. This verse proves that Jerusalem was built in the days of Cyrus; the words thy foundation shall be laid contain an allusion to the fact, that Cyrus ordered the temple to be built, but after its foundation had been laid by Zerubbabel, prohibited its further restoration; it is therefore clear, that Daniel made no mistake in his calculations, as I have already explained.47<i class="footnote">All our learned men agree, says I. E. in his commentary on Dan. 9:1, that Daniel made a miscalculation; he thought that the 70 years of exile, foretold by Jeremiah, commenced with the first deportation under king Jehoiakim, and ended with the commencement of the reign of king Cyrus over Babylon, while in truth the exile commenced with the destruction of the temple, and ended during the reign of Darius Hystaspes. I. E. objects to this opinion, and proves, in the form of a dialogue between himself and R. Jehudah Hallevi, that Daniel was right. The exile lasted only till the reign of Cyrus, under whose auspices the foundation of the temple was laid. According to the prophecy of Isaiah not the building, but the founding of the temple (תּׅוׇּםֵר), was to be promoted by Cyrus.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>His anointed.</i> According to some, the prophet; others think that Cyrus is meant; either explanation is admissible; comp. The Lord hath anointed me (61:1), and Anoint Hazael to be king (1 K. 19:15).
  לרד <i>To subdue.</i> It is infinitive of רדד ; comp. הרדד who subdueth (Ps. 144:2); as to its form comp. לְעַד to prey (Zeph. 3:8)
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>I</i>. The support of God or the heavenly prince of Persia is to be understood;1<i class="footnote">This remark of I. E. is intended to smooth the anthropological expression I (God) will go before thee. Two explanations are given; the first substitutes for I the expression my support; the second assigns these words to the angel, the messenger of God, who speaks of God sometimes in the first, sometimes in the third person. Comp. c. xvi. Note 7.</i> comp. Dan. 10:20.
  והדורים <i>The crooked places.</i> It is the opposite of ישר straight. Some derive it from הדר glory;2<i class="footnote">According to this derivation the mountains are called הדורים the glorious, majestic part of the earth, because of their rising above the rest of the surface of the earth.—הרר of the Hebrew text is a corruption of הדר.</i> it means mountains, and is as to its form either adjective or participle passive.3<i class="footnote">By this remark I. E. means to say, that strictly speaking, we have to supply here the noun, to which הדורים is an attribute.</i>
  דלתות <i>The doors</i>4<i class="footnote">A, V., The gates.</i> that are in the gates of the city.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And I will give thee the treasures of darkness.</i> Cyrus will take the spoil of the countries.
  <i>That thou mayest know.</i> For before that he did not fear the Lord.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>For Jacob my servant’s sake,</i> etc. All this success is not granted to thee for thine own sake, but for Israel, that thou shouldst send back the captives of Israel and rebuild Jerusalem. 
  <i>I have named thee.</i> Comp. I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine (43:1)
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>I am the Lord,</i> I alone know what will happen in future; as the victory of Cyrus shows. 
  <i>I shall gird thee.</i> I shall strengthen thee, although thou hast not worshipped Me.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>That they may know,</i> etc. I have besides given thee strength, in order that My name shall be known everywhere, that I am alone the Lord, and that there is none beside Me.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>I form the light,</i> etc. Things which are opposite to each other are mentioned in this verse.
  ובורא חשך <i>And causeth</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., And create.</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., And create.</i> <i>darkness.</i> ברא has here the same meaning as גזר to decree; for darkness is nothing by itself, it is but the absence of light.6<i class="footnote">Darkness is no substance in itself; the verb to create, which signifies to bring a substance into existence (להוציא יש מאין), cannot therefore be applied to it, and the verb ברא, which is used here by the prophet with regard to darkness, means to decree, to order. But God commands that there shall be darkness, is the same as, God commands the light to withdraw. I. E., however, lays rather too much stress on his exposition of the verb ברא.</i>
  The same is to be said6a<i class="footnote">The evil seems sometimes to be something real, to which the verb to create might well be applied, as <i>e.g.</i> war, illness. But I. E. explains that these evils are but a certain relation of existing beings to each other; and finds the verb to decree or to command to be more applicable to them than the verb to create.</i> concerning ובורא רע <i>And causeth</i> <i>evil.</i> By evil war is meant as the opposite of peace, or the sickness under which man labours, as being at war with his constitution. These antitheses are used to indicate that in the same way God will strengthen Cyrus and weaken the king of Babylon.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Drop down.</i> This is a command to the angels7<i class="footnote">Heavens and skies are in this verse, according to I. E., metaphors for angels, for the messengers or servants of the Lord, that execute His decrees. As to the use of שמים and similar expressions for angels Comp. I. E. on Dan. 10:20 and Ex. 25:40.</i> that they shall drop righteousness, and cause salvation and truth to succeed.
  אני יי בראתיו <i>I</i>, <i>the Lord, have created for him</i>,8<i class="footnote">A. V., Have created it.</i> have created righteousness for Cyrus; he will establish righteousness in the world.9<i class="footnote">By overthrowing the Babylonian Empire, and delivering those who were oppressed by it.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  הוי <i>Hi!</i>10<i class="footnote">A. V., Woe unto him.</i> Interjectio vocandi. The prophet calls unto him, that does not believe in the words of God, who foretells these future events.
  רב את יוצר <i>That striveth with his maker.</i> יוצר has here the same meaning as in Ps. 2:9; namely potter.11<i class="footnote">The lit. rendering of the phrase רב את יצרו is: that striveth with its pother; but the word him that striveth with his maker express the same idea, if the pronouns him and his be referred to the noun potsherd, mentioned in the phrase which follows.</i> 
  <i>The potsherd.</i> The man who is like a potsherd of earthenware.
  <i>Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it</i>, <i>What makest thou?</i> This cannot be ; but he who fashions the clay does what he wishes.
  ופעלך אין ידים לו <i>Or thy work,</i> etc. Or shall the clay say to him who fashions it, What thou doest is not done by thy hands.12<i class="footnote">A. V., He hath no hands. According to the explanation of I. E. it is very strange that the most important word thine should be omitted.</i> I think that this phrase contains the same idea as the preceding, namely : Thy work is made without hands; thou hast no power to do it as thou likest.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>He that saith to his father,</i> etc. Or can the son before his birth say to his father, What wilt thou beget,13<i class="footnote">A. V., What begettest thou. What hast thou brought forth.</i>13<i class="footnote">A. V., What begettest thou. What hast thou brought forth.</i> <i>or to the woman,</i> that is, to his mother, what wilt thou bring forth? תחילין <i>Thou will bring forth.</i> Comp. כי חלה נם ילדה ציון Zion travailed, she brought forth (66:8)
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>And his maker.</i> I am he who made Israel.
  שְׁאׇלוּגׅי <i>Ask me.</i> It is imperative like שְׁמׇלוּגׅי hear me (Gen. 23:8), the kamez being substituted for zeré because of the guttural letter (א) 14<i class="footnote">The regular form would be שַׁאֲלוּגׅי שׁׅמׅעוּגׅי. See I. E. on 41:25, and Note 31.</i>.
  ,mubh<i>Will ye command me</i>.15<i class="footnote">A. V., Ask me. Comp. Rashi ad locum.</i> It is a question.—As the potter knows what to do with the clay, so I know what to do with Israel, who is my son. The other nations, the Non-Israelites are addressed in these words.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>I have made the earth,</i> etc. How will you command me concerning my children, when the whole universe belongs to me? I have created earth and man upon it; my hands have stretched out the heavens, and <i>all their hosts have I commanded,</i> and consequently they were created. I commanded is poetically said16<i class="footnote">I. E. explains I commanded by I spoke, because this verse refers to the creation of heaven and earth and all their hosts, and the verb to command cannot properly be applied to things which do not yet exist.</i> for I spoke as in the verse He commanded and they were created (Ps. 148:5)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>I have raised him,</i> namely Cyrus. 
  <i>And I will make straight all his ways,</i> and all this only because He shall build, etc.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>The labour of Egypt,</i> etc. This verse shows that Cyrus was also to conquer Egypt, and to carry the inhabitants thereof away into captivity; the way, as is well known, led through. Palestine, which is situated in the midst between Elam and Egypt.17<i class="footnote">As to the position of Elam, see c. xiii. Note 7. Cyrus did not conquer Egypt, but Kambyses, his successor, conquered it 525 B. C.</i> 
  <i>Men of measure.</i> Men of great measure; for all men have a certain measure; comp. show thyself a man═show thyself a brave man (1 Kgs. 2:2).
  <i>Surely God is in thee.</i> These are the words which they will confess and declare; this was in fact the case after the return of Israel from the Babylonian captivity.18<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. 19:19, note 26.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>Verily thou art a God,</i> etc. Then they will confess to God and say, It is true that thou art God who hid himself from the people in which He delighted, and now thou art the God of the Israelites, who helps them. Some say that אל נסתר ═ אל מסתתר invisible God, and explain the verse thus: God, though invisible, revealed himself for the sake of Israel. This explanation, however, is not supported by the rules of Hebrew grammar, מסתתר being Hithpael, and signifying who hid himself.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>They shall go with confusion,</i>19<i class="footnote">A. V., To confusion.</i> etc. They that make the idols, and come with honour to those that send for them, shall go, etc. צירים <i>Messengers.</i>20<i class="footnote">A. V., Idols. According to I. E. חרשי means the makers of idols, צירים of messengers, that is, for whom messengers were sent from a distance.</i> Comp. ציר an ambassador (Jer. 49:14). הלכו <i>They shall go.</i> They shall return to their land.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Israel is saved by the Lord.</i> Therefore they will not be ashamed, as those men have been put to shame, that made vain things which cannot help in times of trouble.
  עד <i>Innumerable.</i>21<i class="footnote">A. V., Without end. The literal translation of עַד according to I. E. is till, and the phrase they cannot be numbered for multitude, must be supplied. Comp. I. E. on c. 57:15 and 65:18.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>He hath established it,</i> as the habitation for men and beasts. 
  תהו In vain.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>I have not spoken,</i> etc. I have not made the earth in vain, how then should I say to the Israelites Seek ye me in vain.22<i class="footnote">God has not created the earth in vain; he wishes that it shall be inhabited; how then should He ask the Israelites, whose land is desolate and waste, to seek Him, that is, to pray to Him, for the restoration of the country, in vain, that is, without being relieved?</i> Many refer this verse to the revelation on Sinai;22a<i class="footnote">See Rashi <i>ad locum.</i></i> but I refer it to those future events, of which the Lord informed the prophet, and which the prophet announced to Israel and all other nations ; this may be gathered from the words מגיד מישרים I declare things that are right.23<i class="footnote">According to I. E., the words Things that are right, refer to the predictions concerning the redemption of the Israelites, which is sure to take place as soon as they make up their minds to return to God.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  הקבצו ובאו התנגשו <i>Assemble yourselves and come, draw near.</i> These are imperatives. 
  <i>Ye, that are escaped,</i> etc. The Babylonians are addressed.—I called thus long ago, but <i>they have, no knowledge that set up,</i> etc.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>Tell ye</i> the truth.
  <i>And bring</i> near your wise men.
  יועצו <i>Let them take counsel.</i> It is Niphal of יעץ
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>And be ye saved.</i> This is the same as and you will be saved; it is in your own power.24<i class="footnote">The imperative And be ye saved is here used, although the Israelites cannot properly be commanded to save themselves, for it is God who saves them; because the relief sent to them by God is only the consequence of their good actions, which they are here indirectly commanded to do.</i>
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>By myself,</i> who am eternal. <i>I have sworn.</i> I have made a decree, which will not be undone.
  דבר צדקה ═ צדקה <i>a righteous word.</i>24a<i class="footnote">This remark is added to explain the discrepancy between the genders of the verb יצא and the noun צדקה.</i> Comp. צדקה she hath been righteous (Gen. 38:27).25<i class="footnote">This quotation is adduced to prove that the word צדקה admits also of the meaning truth.</i> 
  <i>That unto me,</i> etc. These things here foretold I shall do, till unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear to belong to me. לי unto me must be repeated before תשבע shall swear ; it is an ellipsis, such as is frequently met with. Comp.26<i class="footnote">As to the meaning of נשבע to swear to be faithful to.</i> And shall swear by His name (Deut. 6:13)
  
  Verse 24
  
  לי <i>Unto me.</i> The pronoun of the first person refers to the prophet. He declares, that he does not know these future events by the aid of his reason, but by the Lord alone, who informed him of these things of righteousness and strength.27<i class="footnote">Mentioned in the preceding verse, and referring to the faithful fulfilment of the divine promise.</i> It is more correct to explain the verse thus : Surely in the Lord, alone is righteousness and strength, the words לי אמר are a relative sentence signifying who spoke unto me.
  עדיו <i>To Him.</i> Comp. Am. 4:6
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>In the Lord.</i> In faithfully believing in the Lord.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Bel.</i> The idol of the Babylonians; the same is the case with Nebo. The latter is explained by some to signify the sun.
  קורס It is connected with קרסים taches (Ex. 26:11); its meaning is well known.
  <i>Upon the beasts and upon the cattle,</i> upon which man is carried. This sentence is therefore followed by the words 
  נשאתיכם עמוסות משא לעיפה the beasts which carry you1<i class="footnote">A. V., Your carriages. נשאתיכם is explained by I. E. in an active sense, although it is in fact participle passive Kal of נשא.</i> were heavy loaden; you are a burden to the weary beast. עיפה is an adjective, and refers to the beast that carries the burden.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>They bow down.</i> The beasts that carry the idols, bow down. 
  <i>The burden.</i> Their idols. נפשם <i>Their souls,</i>2<i class="footnote">A. V., Themselves.</i> that is, the persons carried by the beasts, <i>are gone into captivity.</i> They were also carried away as captives. Others explain the verse thus : They, that is, all the idols that are left in Babylon, and are not yet mentioned,3<i class="footnote">That is all idols worshipped in Babylon besides Bel and Nebo.</i> stoop and bow down, and cannot deliver the burden, for they must go themselves into captivity.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>Which are borne by me,</i> etc. The idols of Babylon are carried by their worshippers, but I, the God of Israel, carry the Israelites. 
  <i>From the belly,</i> that is, since the day they were born.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>And even to old age,</i> etc. This is a figurative expression; it means since the day they had become the people of the Lord for ever. 
  <i>I have made</i> the Israelites; I am, therefore, not like the gods of Babylon; the Babylonians make their gods. <i>And I will carry and deliver</i> the Israelites; while the idols cannot deliver the burden.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And make me equal,</i> that we two should be similar.—This verse is addressed to the idolaters.
  
  Verse 6
  
  הולים <i>They lavish gold,</i> etc. Many compare this word with אזל is spent3a<i class="footnote">Literally: is gone. The literal translation of הזלים accordingly is: that cause to go, that is, that spend. I. E. properly objects that ולים, if participle Kal of אול, has a neuter sense, they that go.</i> (1 Sam. 9:7), and assume here the elision of the first radical (א) ; but it is in fact hap. leg.; for אזל is intransitive. הזלים means who give. מכיס <i>Out of the bag.</i> The bag is a part of the balance; comp. בכיסך in thy bag (Deut. 25:13). The succeeding בקנה has a similar meaning; it is hap. leg.
  
  Verse 7
  
  תחתיו <i>In his place.</i>
  לא ימיש <i>It shall not move itself.</i>4<i class="footnote">A. V. Shall he not remove.</i> ימיש is a transitive verb.4a<i class="footnote">Or, more properly, reflective.</i> It may also be explained to be a neuter verb meaning it shall move, but the former explanation is better. 
  The word יצעק One shall cry is to be repeated after ומצרתו and out of his trouble.
  
  Verse 8
  
  והתאששו According to some And be founded ; comp. אשיותיה her foundations (Jer. 1. 15) and אושיא walls (Ezr. 4:12). R. Hai deriving it from אש fire explains והתאוששו be burnt. R. Saadiah derives it also from אֵשׁ, but explains it: be flamed; comp. this word was in mine heart as a burning fire (Jer. 20:9).5<i class="footnote">The difference between the two explanations, that of R. Hai and that of R. Saadiah, is, that the former derives it from אש fire in its literal sense, as a destructive element, the other from אש fire in a figurative sense, as the incentive to actions.</i> <i>Bring again to mind</i> this thing.5a<i class="footnote">I. E. supplies ואת mentioned in the first sentence. This thing refers to the nature of the idols described in the preceding verses.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  ראשנות <i>The former things.</i> The things that have passed ; the word מעולם of old is therefore added.6<i class="footnote">The literal translation of ראשנות is first things, and can be used to signify the first of the things to come as well as past events.</i> <i>I am God.</i> Thus you shall know that I alone am God.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Declaring the end from the beginning,</i> that is, declaring the event before it happens; for who can annul my decree; my counsel stands for ever, and I will do all my pleasure.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>A ravenous bird.</i> Cyrus. He is called a bird, because he flew, as it were, to fulfil my will. 
  <i>I have spoken</i> this decree. אביאנה <i>I will also bring it to pass.</i> יצרתיה <i>I have formed it</i>7<i class="footnote">A. V., I have purposed it.</i> by a heavenly decree, <i>I will also do it</i> on earth.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>Stouthearted,</i> that do not believe in the word of the Lord, but are hardened in their hearts.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>I bring near my righteousness,</i> to show it, and therefore It shall not be, etc.
  לא תאחר <i>Shall not tarry.</i> Literally : shall not stay itself with me too long before coming, for תאחר is a transitive verb.8<i class="footnote">עצמה itself, the objective case being supplied.</i> It is a figurative expression.9<i class="footnote">The words דרך משל in the Hebrew text are not in their proper place; they should be at the end of the remark, as indicated in the translation.</i> 
  ונתתי And I will place is to be repeated before לישראל. The phrase תפארתי לישראל is therefore to be rendered thus : And I will place my glory in Israel. It may also be explained thus : to Israel, who is my glory; comp. in whom I will be glorified (49:3); the latter explanation is the better.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Virgin.</i> Babylon is like a virgin, that has not yet been deflowered.1<i class="footnote">That is, for a long period; but strictly speaking, Babylon had been conquered before by the Assyrians. See Niebuhr, Gesch. As. and B. p. 179.</i>
  בת <i>Daughter.</i> It is here figuratively used for people.2<i class="footnote">It is strange that I. E. here explains the expression daughter, after having many times passed it over in silence (1:8; 10:32; 16:1; 22:4 ; 23:10, etc.); even the very same phrase בתולת בת (23:12; 37:22), did not elicit any remark or explanation. The object of his remark here, is probably not only to explain the figurative use of the word בת daughter קהלת═ congregation or people, but also the meaning of the construct state of the two nouns בתולת בת the virgin of the daughter of, while other authorities render them the virgin daughter of, explaining בתולת, in spite of the form of the construct state, to be in apposition to בת. I. E. refers the virgin to the capital and the daughter to the whole country. Comp. his remark on Lam. 1:15. The Chaldæan translation renders these two words by מלכו כנשתא the kingdom of the people.</i> 
  <i>There is no throne</i> for thee any longer.
  ענוגה <i>Tender.</i> It is an adjective similar in form to אדומה red (Num. 19:2)
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>Take the millstones,</i> etc., as handmaids do; for thou wilt go into captivity. 
  <i>Meal.</i> This is a prolepsis. Comp. And stripped the naked of their clothing (Job 22:6).
  צמתך <i>Thy crown.</i>3<i class="footnote">A. V., Thy crown.</i> The hair upon the head.
  שובל <i>Locks.</i>4<i class="footnote">A. V., The leg.</i> The hair that hangs down over the cheeks. R. Moses Hakkohen compares שובל with שבלת the channel of the river (27:12),5<i class="footnote">The comparison between the locks of hair and the river is probably made with regard to the similarity in their winding form.</i> but I consider it as hap. leg., and its meaning can only be found from the context, without being supported by any. parallel passage. 
  <i>Pass over the rivers,</i> in order to grind.
  
  Verse 3
  
  תגל <i>Shall be uncovered.</i> It is Niphal of גלה .
  ולא אפגע אדם <i>And I shall not accept the intercession of any man.</i>6<i class="footnote">A. V., And I will not meet thee as a man.</i> פגע means to entreat; comp. אל תפגעי בי entreat me not (Ruth 1:16); when פגע is constructed with the preposition ב, then the noun, to which the ב is prefixed, is the object to the verb.7<i class="footnote">I. E. thus distinguishes between פגע governing the accusative, and פגע being followed by the preposition ב; the former has the meaning to accept the prayer of or to be entreated by, the latter: to entreat. In the former case the noun governed by the verb פגע is in reality הפועל, the one that acts (that entreats), in the other case הפעול the object.</i> Some render the meaning of this sentence in the following way: I shall not take vengeance on thee, and I shall not meet a man (comp. ויפגעו and they met, Ex. 5:20) sc. standing in my way, or telling me not to do it, or I shall not meet a man, whom 1 should not cause joy by this.8<i class="footnote">It can hardly be seen, how the reader could supply from the context, or from the signification of the verb פגע to meet, the relative sentence whom I should not cause joy by this, and it is very improbable that the prophet, if he had this sentence in his mind, should have dropped it, leaving it to the sagacity of the reader or hearer to supply it.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Our redeemer,</i> etc. Then the Israelites will say, this is our redeemer, etc.
  
  Verse 5
  
  יקראו לך <i>Thou shalt be called.</i> Lit. They, the people, will call thee. Comp. Num. 26:59; there are many other instances like it.9<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 2:4 and note 5.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>I was wroth,</i> etc. When I was angry with my people, thou didst not show mercy to them, etc. 
  The ancient is especially mentioned because of the failure of his strength and because of the regard due to him.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>And thou saidst,</i> in thy heart, etc.; 
  but thou ought to have taken to thy heart <i>These things,</i> which I have done for my people. 
  <i>Neither didst thou remember the latter end of it.</i> That is, the latter end of the pride; or thou didst not remember what the future of my peculiar people was to be, when I was angry with them.10<i class="footnote">The question is, to which noun does the pronoun –ָהּ its in אחריתה refer, since there is no such noun directly preceding. According to I. E. it may refer either to the noun pride which is the true character of the words I shall be a mistress for ever, and can be substituted for them, whenever reference is made to them; or to a word like נחלתי my inheritance (ver. 6), which might easily be supplied from the preceding verse, as well as from the phrase I shall be a mistress for ever, viz., of Israel, the inheritance of the Lord.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  עדינה <i>Given to pleasures.</i> It is an adjective; עדנה pleasure (Gen. 18:12) is of the same root.
  אפס═אפסי <i>None,</i>11<i class="footnote">A. V., None beside me.</i> The י is paragogic;11a<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 52:10, and Notes 11, 12 and 13. According to I. E. אפס signifies either the negatives not or none or the preposition beside; in the former case אפס ═ אפסי; in the latter אפסי means beside me; but it does not signify both simultaneously: none beside me. Since the context of the verse demands the negation; I. E. here gives the preference to the former.</i> comp. מן═מני from (Judg. 5:14). 
  <i>A widow.</i> The king of the country is metaphorically called the husband.12<i class="footnote">It is not clear whether I. E. meant by the evils the threatened punishment of the loss of children and widowhood or the sins of Babylon mentioned vers. 6, sqq. In the former case I. E. would probably have said these evils (הרעות האלה); in the other case it is rather at variance with the words, וכל זה בעבור, All these evils came over thee for, since the cause of the threatened evils is stated already by the word כתמם when they were complete.</i>
  שכל <i>The loss of children.</i> It is a noun similar in form to כפר hoar-frost (Ex. 16:14); שפט judgment (2 Chr. 20:9)
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>These two.</i> The loss of the kingdom and the death of the children.
  כתמם <i>In their perfection.</i> When the evils12<i class="footnote">It is not clear whether I. E. meant by the evils the threatened punishment of the loss of children and widowhood or the sins of Babylon mentioned vers. 6, sqq. In the former case I. E. would probably have said these evils (הרעות האלה); in the other case it is rather at variance with the words, וכל זה בעבור, All these evils came over thee for, since the cause of the threatened evils is stated already by the word כתמם when they were complete.</i> were complete. תמם is an infinitive.13<i class="footnote">It is the infinitive of תמם with the pronominal suffix –ם their.</i>—All these evils came over thee for the multitude of thy sorceries, etc.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>And thy knowledge.</i> The prophet here alludes to that rationalism which denies the existence of God.
  רוֹאׇגׅי <i>Seeth me.</i> The א has Kamez, because it is a guttural letter.14<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 41:25 and note 31.</i> 
  <i>Thy wisdom.</i> That which was wisdom in thy imagination.
  שובבתך <i>Hath perverted thee,</i> has made thee obstinate, that thou art not inclined to return from thy evil way.
  ואפסי <i>And none.</i> It has here the same meaning as above (ver. 8). <i>I am, and none else beside me,</i> I am wise, and there is none as wise as I am.
  
  Verse 11
  
  יום רעה═רעה A day of evil.15<i class="footnote">A. V., Evil. I. E. supplies יום the day of because of the masculine form of the verb ובא.</i>
  לא תדעי שחרה <i>Thou shalt not know its light.</i>16<i class="footnote">A. V., From whence it riseth.</i> It will be like a night, which is not relieved by daylight; שחר means light.
  הׂוׇה <i>Mischief.</i> It is derived from הוה to become; comp. ואתה הוה that thou mayest become (Neh. 6:6);17<i class="footnote">A. V., That thou mayest be. Although the root הוה has the general meaning to become, both in the good sense and in the evil, the noun הוה may still be said to be derived from the same root, and to be used only in the bad sense.</i> it signifies an evil that comes suddenly; of the same root is והותי and my calamity (Job 6:2). 
  כפרה To put it off by ransom; comp. כפר ransom (Ex. 30:12); or to annul it; comp. יכפרנה will remove it18<i class="footnote">A. V., Will pacify it.</i> (Prov. 16:14). 
  שואה Desolation.
  
  Verse 12
  
  נא Now.19<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 5:1 and note 1.</i>
  בחבריך <i>With thine enchantments.</i> It is a plural noun, of the same root as וחבר חבר or a charmer (Deut. 18:11).
  הועיל <i>To profit.</i> It is Infinitive.
  תערוצי <i>Thou mayest prevail.</i> Comp. עריץ strong (29:20)
  
  Verse 13
  
  עֲצׇתׇיׅךְ <i>Thy counsels.</i> It is an irregular form, a combination of the singular and plural; comp. מֲכּׂתְךְ thy plagues (Deut. 28:59), which shows the same peculiarity in the opposite order.20<i class="footnote">The possessive pronoun of the second person feminine is –ֵךְ or –ַיׅךְ the former, if connected with a noun in the singular, the other, if connected with a noun in the plural; the regular forms for the two words are accordingly עֲצָתֵךְ thy counsel, or עֲצוֹתַיׅךְ thy counsels; מַכְּתֵךְ thy plague, or מַכּוֹתַיִךְ thy plagues.</i>
  הברי שמים <i>Astrologers.</i> Some derive הברי from ברר to be clear, because the astrologers cannot know the exact time unless the heaven be clear and cloudless. This is far-fetched ; besides, the ה is radical, and the word is in form21<i class="footnote">That is in respect to letters and vowels. Although this is not yet sufficient to establish the identity of two forms, in this case it is sufficient, since the radical and preformative letters can in both words be easily distinguished and found as corresponding to each other.</i> similar to שמרי watchmen of (Song 5:7).
  מודיעים לחדשים <i>The monthly prognosticators.</i> This is their wisdom; they look to the stars for the knowledge of changes in the weather, and of events concerning the countries, only at the time of the conjunction of the planets, which is the source of their wisdom, and is here indicated by the word מאשר יבאו עליך 22<i class="footnote">According to this explanation the literal translation of לחדשים is at each new revolution of the stars.</i>.לחרשים 
  <i>From these things that shall come upon thee.</i> This phrase is not to be joined with מודיעים לחדשים, but with ויושעוך and save thee, though distant from it; comp.  אשד עבדו שם הגוים אשר אתם יורשים אותם את אלהיהם wherein the nations which ye shall possess, served their gods23<i class="footnote">The words את אלהיהם are not governed by the nearer ירשים, but by the more remote עבדו.</i> (Deut. 12:2)
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Fire.</i> The host of the enemy. Comp., There is a fire gone out of Heshbon (Num. 21:28).
  לחמם <i>To warm at.</i> It is infinitive of a verb (חמם) ע״ע, written in full, and similar in form24<i class="footnote">The Pathah under ל in לַחמם instead of Hirek as in לִשכב is easily explained by the guttural letter by which the ל is followed; but not so regular is the change of Pathah in the second syllable into Kamez; and a remark of I. E. on this point might have been expected, if he had had the reading לחמָם; and not rather לחמַם.</i> to לשכב to lie (Gen. 34:7).—The meaning of the whole sentence is: they will perish and no remnant will be left of them.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>Thus were they,</i> those wise men. 
  <i>With whom thou hast laboured.</i> To whom thou hast given money.
  <i>Even thy merchants,</i> which were not from thy land, but had been thy friends.—When thy fall cometh, they all forsake thee.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Out of the waters of Judah.</i> That is, out of the seed of Judah. Comp. The fountains of Jacob (Deut. 33:28). 
  <i>Not in truth.</i> They utter with their lips that they are God’s people, but do not think so in their hearts nor show it in their deeds.
  
  Verse 2
  
  For they call themselves of the holy city, namely children of Zion. 
  And stay themselves upon the God of Israel with their lips.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>I have declared,</i> etc. God will say to the unbelievers, Have I not often foretold you coming events before they happened (ראשנות)?1<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 46:9 and note 6, and on 41:27 and note 35.</i> The past tense is therefore used : and they came to pass.
  
  Verse 4
  
  מדעתי <i>I know.</i>2<i class="footnote">A. V,, Because I knew. The literal translation according to I. E. is: It is by my knowledge.</i> As I knew the former things, so I know also that thou art hardened in thy heart. The second person refers to those Israelites who do not believe in God. <i>And thy neck is of iron.</i> Thou dost not depart from thy way, as if thy neck were of iron. <i>And thy brow brass.</i> And thou dost not blush, as if thy forehead were brass.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>I have even from the beginning,</i> etc. This is the explanation;3<i class="footnote">Of the connection between the divine predictions (ver. 3) and Israel’s obstinacy (ver. 4).</i> I foretold thee coming events, in order that thou shouldst not say when they happened, that thy idols worshipped by thee in thy land had prepared them, that by their decree the events took place, 
  <i>Hath commanded them.</i> It is the same expression as used of the Almighty (45:12)
  
  Verse 6
  
  Thou hast heard, see all this. What thou hast heard, all has come. 
  And will not ye declare that this is the case? Behold, I have shewed thee new things from this time, 
  even hidden things, that are kept (בצורות═נצורות4<i class="footnote">The word כמו comp. seems to have been omitted in the Hebrew text. </i>) with the Omniscient alone.
  
  Verse 7
  
  נבראו They are decreed.5<i class="footnote">A. V., They are created. Comp. I. E. on 40:28, note 61.</i> 
  <i>And before the day,</i> on which I told you. ולא שמעתם <i>Thou heardest them not.</i>6<i class="footnote">I. E. here explains the words Yea, thou hast not heard, etc., as a repetition of Thou heardest them not of the preceding verse for the sake of</i> The ו introduces the principal sentence, as فَ in Arabic; comp. אברהם ביום השלישי וישא when the third day came, Abraham lifted up (Gen. 22:4)
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Yea, thou knowest not,</i> etc., <i>I knew,</i> etc. That is, I know it for certain, that thou hast not heard of it,6<i class="footnote">I. E. here explains the words Yea, thou hast not heard, etc., as a repetition of Thou heardest them not of the preceding verse for the sake of</i> or I knew it,7<i class="footnote">According to this explanation the words I knew it are understood; and the past tenses ידעת שמעת, are here used instead of the future.</i> that thou wouldst not listen, that thou wouldst be treacherous against me, and not believe in my words. 
  <i>From the womb.</i> I knew thee7a<i class="footnote">The accents are against this explanation; they join מבטן with ופשע; ‘And one that transgresseth from the womb, that is a sinner from his earliest youth; while according to I. E. מבטן is joined with קרא לך : Thou art called from thy birth a sinner.</i> since thou camest to existence. In the opposite sense8<i class="footnote">That is, in a good sense.</i> this expression is used in Jer. 1:5: Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. <i>And thou wast called a transgressor from the womb.</i> This refers to the decrees of the Almighty.9<i class="footnote">Which fix the destinies of man before he is born.</i> I shall fully explain this subject in my commentary on the book of Jeremiah.10<i class="footnote">I. E. alludes here to the contradiction that seems to be implied in the fact, that on the one side the destinies of man are settled before his birth, and on the other side, free-will is conceded to him ; as here the one has been appointed to be a prophet, the other a sinner. I. E. promises to explain it fully in his commentary on Jeremiah, which seems either to have never been written, or if written, not to be known.</i>
  פתחה <i>Hath opened</i>11<i class="footnote">A. V., Thine ear was not opened.</i> itself; it is an elliptical expression.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>For My name’s sake,</i> Israel is called the people of the Lord.
  אחטם <i>Wrath,</i>12<i class="footnote">A. V., Will I defer mine anger.</i> It is hap. leg.; comp. אף═חטם nose in Rabbinical Literature. Supply אאריך before אחטם : I will defer my wrath; also למען for the sake of is to be repeated before תהלתי : and for the sake of my praise.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>I have refined thee,</i> by the exile. 
  במצרף כסף═בכסף <i>In the silver refinery,</i>13<i class="footnote">A.V., With silver.</i> I have refined thee, by taking away the dross, that is, the wicked.
  בחרתיך <i>I have chosen for thee,</i>14<i class="footnote">A. V., I have chosen thee. According to I. E. we have to supply the infinitive to be tried.</i> Some say that בחנתיך═בחרתיך I have tried thee; in that sense the word is hap. leg.15<i class="footnote">As to בחן ═ בחר to try, comp. תתבחרון in the Targum corresponding with the Hebrew, תבחנו, ye shall be proved (Gen. 42:15, 16).</i> I take it in its usual meaning, I have chosen for thee to refine thee in the furnace of affliction, not in the silver refinery.
  
  Verse 11
  
  יחל <i>Should be polluted.</i> It is the Niphal of a verb (חלל) ע״ע; as to the use of the first person in למעני and third person in יחל, comp. ונשאר אני and I was left (Ez. 9:8); הנני יוסיף behold, I will add (38:5).16<i class="footnote">I. E. supplies the personal pronoun אני before יחל, from the pronominal suffix of the first person in למעני and compares then the construction with נשאר אני I am left (Ez. 9:8) and הנני יוסיף (38:5). In all these cases the personal pronoun of the first person is connected as the subject with a verb in the third person singular. Comp. 38:5 and I. E. on 29:14, Note 22.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  מקראי <i>Called by me</i>.17<i class="footnote">A. V., My called.</i> They are called the children of God. You ought to believe that God is the first and last; this would be a true belief, for my hand, etc.
  
  Verse 13
  
  ידי <i>Mine hand.</i> My left hand.18<i class="footnote">From the word ימיני My right hand, which follows in the second sentence of the verse, I. E. probably inferred that the general term ידי is here used for שמאלי My left hand.</i> 
  It is a figurative expression; the right hand is used in connection with the heavens, because they are higher in rank than the earth. 
  אף has in this verse the same meaning as כי for.—It is true that I am the first and last, because I created every thing.
  טפחה <i>Hath put round,</i>19<i class="footnote">A. V., Hath spanned. According to I. E. טפח means to put round; but although he appears to reject here the derivation from טֶפַח hand breadth, in his commentary on Lamentations 2:20, he seems to adopt it.</i>19<i class="footnote">A. V., Hath spanned. According to I. E. טפח means to put round; but although he appears to reject here the derivation from טֶפַח hand breadth, in his commentary on Lamentations 2:20, he seems to adopt it.</i> Comp. טפחתי I have swaddled (Lam. 2:22). Others explain it: Hath measured with the handbreadth יעמדו יחדיו —.(טֶפַח) <i>They stand up together.</i> From this phrase some of the commentators derive their opinion, that heaven and earth were created simultaneously, not consecutively.20<i class="footnote">When a dispute arose between the school of Hillel and that of Shammai about the order of the creation of heaven and earth, R. Shimeon ben Jochai settled the dispute, proving from this verse, I call unto them, that is, unto heaven and earth, they stood up together, that both were created at the same time. (Bereshith Rabba c. i.). Comp. Kimchi <i>ad locum.</i></i> The literal meaning, however, is: I have made them, and when I call them to do My will and desire they stand both before Me like servants; comp. למשפטיך עמדו they stand up21<i class="footnote">A. V., They continue. This quotation is to show that the verb עמד has also the meaning to stand as a servant, to attend. Comp. לפניו אשר עמדתי before whom I stand (1 Kings 17:1), that is, whose servant I am.</i> according to Thy ordinances (Ps. 119:91). For else22<i class="footnote">That is, if the words I call unto them had not the meaning, I give commands to them, as to my servants, but were the description of their creation, identical with I commanded them to come into existence.</i> how should God call them, when not yet existing.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>These.</i> The coming events.
  <i>Hath loved him,</i> namely Cyrus. 
  <i>His pleasure.</i> The pleasure of God. Cyrus will perform the will of God concerning Babylon, and show His arm against the Chaldæans. It is, however, also possible, that the possessive pronoun his (ו) in his pleasure and his arm refers to Cyrus.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>I</i>, <i>even I</i>. The word I is repeated to express the idea: I who am always the same. 
  <i>I have called him,</i> namely Cyrus.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Come ye near unto me,</i> unto the prophet. 
  <i>I have not spoken in secret from the beginning</i> of this plan and this divine decree.
  <i>From the time that it was, there was I</i>. The Gaon finds here an indication that the soul exists before the body; but he is wrong, because it is said, They are decreed now, and not from the beginning23<i class="footnote">According to the Gaon, the words From the time that it was, refer to a very remote time, indicated in the phrase from the beginning, which precedes, <i>i.e.,</i> a time anterior to the birth of the prophet, and the pronoun I in the phrase, There am I, to the soul of the prophet. If this were the correct explanation, the prophet implied in these words his adherence to the theory of the pre-existence of the soul. But I. E. properly rejects this explanation, since ver. 7, quoted by him, proves that the words, from the beginning, do not refer to a very remote time, but to a period within the lifetime of the prophet.</i> (ver. 7). The meaning of the sentence is the following: When this decree was made by God unto the angels,24<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words אלה המלאכים these angels, which cannot be properly connected with the words which precede, nor with those that follow. אלה is probably a corruption of אֶל unto. The angels receive from the Almighty the power to act, with regard to a certain event, and this authorisation is called by I. E. The decree of the Almighty. See his commentary on 9:7, and note 13.</i> the representatives of the respective countries (comp. Dan. 10:20), I was also there.
  ורוחו <i>And His spirit,</i> that is His angel.25<i class="footnote">God had sent me to proclaim the future events; and He sent His angel to verify the words of the prophet. It is however possible, that I. E. connects ורוחו with שם אני ; There was I and His angel.</i> The Gaon says, that ברוחו═ורוחו by His spirit; comp. דרשו יי ועזו seek the Lord in His strength ; but there is no necessity to assume that.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>Thy redeemer,</i> etc. The words which follow are to announce the reward of those that listen to the words of the Lord.
  
  Verse 18
  
  לוא <i>Oh that.</i> The א is paragogic; comp. ההלכוא that went (Jos. 10:24).
  ויהי <i>Then had been.</i> The ו has here the same meaning as فَ in Arabic.26<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on ver. 7, and on 28:18.</i> <i>Thy peace had been as a river,</i> that does not cease to flow. 
  <i>And thy righteousness,</i> etc. And thy righteousness had been continuous as the waves of the sea.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>Thy seed.</i> The number of thy children.
  בטנך═מעיך Thy womb.27<i class="footnote">A. V., Thy bowels.</i>
  כמעותיו <i>As its bowels.</i> The possessive pronoun refers to the sea, the waves and sand of which have just been mentioned28<i class="footnote">The sand refers to the sea, mentioned at the end of the preceding verse. Comp. Gen. 32:13.</i> (ver. 18 and 19); by the bowels of the sea the roe of the fish is meant. 
  <i>His name.</i> The name of thy seed.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Go ye forth,</i> etc. Now the prophet addresses those in exile. 
  <i>Utter it,</i> etc. Make it known publicly; not alone that He will redeem His people, He will do wonders to them at their return to Zion. ולא צמאו <i>That they will not thirst</i>29<i class="footnote">A. V., And they thirsted not.</i> in the deserts, through which God will lead them. 
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>Out of the rock.</i> Where no water had been before.
  ויזבו <i>And gushed out.</i> Comp. זב running (Lev. 15:2)
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>There is no peace unto the wicked,</i> that is, unto the wicked of Israel, as some explain, or unto the Babylonians; for this blessing shall be for Israel alone, but there shall be no peace for the Babylonians.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Unto me,</i> that is unto the prophet. 
  <i>From far.</i> That live far away; or things that will happen in remote future.
  <i>Hath called me from the birth,</i> I shall explain this in the commentary on Jer. 1:2.1<i class="footnote">Comp. c. xlviii. Note 10.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword,</i> to speak elegantly; or, as was the case in his prophecies against Babylon, to speak sharply; and the meaning of the whole phrase is accordingly : Although God has made my mouth like a sharp sword against the Babylonians, neither the Babylonians nor the wicked men in Israel, could do any harm to me, 
  because God hath hid me in the shadow of His hand, which is to the prophet as the sheath to the sword; comp. in His quiver hath he hid me. 
  ברור <i>Polished</i>, when seen.2<i class="footnote">I. E. adds נראה seen, in order to show more clearly the similarity between the two figures. The prophet is compared with a sword which is sharp to inflict wounds, but is well protected by its sheath from receiving injury, and with an arrow, which is shining when let loose, but is at other times kept well in its quiver.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And said</i>. And God said. ישראל
  <em>Israel</em>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., O Israel.</i> That is, Thou art an Israelite of whom I am proud; or Thou art Israel, thou art estimated in mine eyes like all Israelites together. I prefer this latter explanation.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>Then I said</em>. Then I, the prophet, said. 
  <em>I said</em> to myself, 
  <em>I have laboured in vain</em>. I have troubled myself in vain to rebuke Israel; they do not hearken.
  <em>My judgment is with God</em>. He will reward me for my trouble. ופעלתי <em>And my wages</em>.4<i class="footnote">A. V., And my work.</i> Comp. שביר פעלת the wages of one that is hired (Lev. 19:13)
  
  Verse 5
  
  <em>That formed me</em>, etc. God formed me, that I should rebuke Israel, till they returned to Him. 
  לא <em>Unto him</em>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., Not.</i> The original reading is לו unto him, as the Masorah recommends; comp. Ps. 100:5; there are some more instances of the same kind. According to the Gaon, the meaning of לא יאסף is: Will not die; he generally explains both the Keri and the Ketib;5a<i class="footnote">Comp. c. ix. Note 2.</i> but what I said, is nevertheless right, and לא of the text is the same as לו, as the Grammarian R. Jehudah explained.6<i class="footnote">The quiescent letter after Holem (ō) which is also called mater lectionis, is generally ו, but sometimes א, so that לא can sometimes he written for לו. See Two Treatises, etc. ed. John W. Nutt, p. 11 (p. 13 in the Engl. Transl.).</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>It is a slight thing</em>, in mine eyes, that thou shouldst be a servant to bring Israel back to their land by thy word. 
  ונצורי <em>And the ruins of</em>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., The preserved. Besieged.</i>7<i class="footnote">A. V., The preserved. Besieged.</i> Comp. נצורה desolate (1:8).—
  Not alone wilt thou bring Israel back, but I will give thee for a light of nations. 
  להיות ישועתי. <em>That my salvation may be</em>,8<i class="footnote">A. V., That thou mayest be my salvation.</i> that is, that my salvation maybe published before it comes, <em>unto the end of the earth</em>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>Thus saith the Lord</em>, etc. The prophet continues to speak of himself: Thus says the Lord unto me, who am despised of the wicked men. לבזה <em>To him who is despised</em>. בזה is an adjective. 
  מתעב It is either a causative verb, meaning: causing to abhor, that is, saying things, for which the nations abhor him; or a transitive verb: abhorring, that is, abhorring all idolaters. 
  <em>To a servant of rulers</em>, that is of the nobles of Israel, as they consider themselves, or of the Babylonians. The latter rendering is preferable. 
  <em>Kings shall see and arise</em>. I have already alluded to the inference that may be drawn from those words (40:1). Most of the commentators explain this sentence thus: Kings, like Cyrus, will rise and worship, when they hear the words of the prophet. 
  <em>Because of the Lord</em>. For He remains faithful to His word.—
  The suffix ך in ויבחרך and He chose thee,9<i class="footnote">A. V., And he shall choose thee.</i> shows that this explanation is right.10<i class="footnote">The use of the pronoun of the second person, proves according to I. E. that the prophet himself is addressed, and that he is personally to receive compensation for the contempt and scorn with which the people received his prophecies. See I. E. on 40:1.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  בעת רצון עניתיך <em>In an acceptable time I have heard thee</em>. This expression is likewise a proof of the correctness of my opinion.11<i class="footnote">See preceding note. The meaning of the phrase according to I. E. is: In the time of favour, viz., for the Israelites, when their redemption was prepared, I have also heard thee, the prophet, and decreed to cause thee to be honoured by all.</i> Many, in opposition to the context, refer the pronoun thee to Cyrus. R. Moses thinks that the preposition ב in בעת רצון has the same meaning as in במרחב יה (Ps. 118:5), namely: with. It is not at all unlikely that his opinion is right.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <em>That thou mayest say</em>, etc. This shows that the prophet announced this to the Jews before they returned from the Babylonian exile.
  <em>And their pastures in all high places</em>. And they shall find their pastures, etc.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>They will not</em>, etc. When they return to Zion. 
  שרב <em>Heat</em>. Comp. 35:7. <em>Nor the sun smite them</em>. Comp. The sun shall not smite thee by day (Ps. 121:6)
  
  Verse 11
  
  <em>And I will make all my mountains a way</em>, etc. The mountains will be lowered, and the paths which are low will be exalted. 
  As to the use of the masculine plural ירומון, together with the feminine מסלות, comp. תמצאו ye (daughters of Jerusalem) find (Song 5:8). The origin of the seeming irregularity is to be found in the indifference of the Hebrews as to the use of the plural masculine for the feminine, so long as the idea of plurality is clearly expressed.12<i class="footnote">According to this remark, the distinction between the masculine and feminine is in the plural often neglected; Comp. the third person plural past, and the second person plural past with a pronominal suffix.</i> Others explain the verse thus: Those that will return, will be so numerous, that they will have to walk high on the mountains.13<i class="footnote">That is, the roads between the mountains will not be wide enough for all the people that will return; part of the people will therefore be compelled to walk on the mountains on both sides of the road.</i> According to their opinion ירמון means: they—that will return—will be high, as if the prophet said: they will walk high on my paths (ועל מסלתי)
  
  Verse 12
  
  <em>From far</em>, from the east.14<i class="footnote">The phrase From far, is explained to refer to The east, because north and west are directly mentioned, and Sinim is supposed by I. E. to be in the south. Where three sides are mentioned, it may be expected, that the fourth will likewise be found.</i> 
  <em>From the north</em>, from Babylon.14a<i class="footnote">Babylon is here described to be in the north; but in his remark on 43:5, I. E. says, that it is in the east. It was perhaps north-east of Palestine. See c. xliii. Note 2a.</i> 
  <em>From the west</em>. From Assyria. Comp. Ezr. 6:22.15<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 43:5, and Notes 3 and 4.</i> 
  מארץ סינים <em>From the land of Sinim</em>. A land near Egypt. The name סינים is perhaps connected with סנה bush.16<i class="footnote">This remark seems to be intended as a hint where to place the land of Sinim, indicating that Mount Horeb is a part of it; because simply to say, that סינים means perhaps bushes would be quite superfluous, and moreover, I. E. would in that case rather have said והוא מגזרת סנה it is derived from סנה ‘bush,’ than הסנה מזאת הגזרה, the word סנה is of the same root.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  <em>Sing</em>, etc. This is a figurative expression; or17<i class="footnote">According to the second explanation the expression must also be figurative; the difference between the two explanations is, that according to the former the nouns heaven, earth, mountains, are used here in a figurative sense, signifying all classes of people; according to the latter the verb sing has a figurative meaning.</i> the purity of the air is to be considered as the singing of the heavens, the productiveness of the fields and gardens as the singing of the earth, and the singing of the mountains can be explained in a similar way.
  
  Verse 14
  
  <em>But Zion said</em> before the redemption,18<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has קודם הגולה but it may be inferred from the context, that I. E. meant here קודם הגאולה before the redemption.</i> that the Lord forgot her. <em>Zion</em>. The congregation of Israel.18a<i class="footnote">By this remark I. E. probably intends to say that Zion here is not the representative of the kingdom of Judah alone, but of all the tribes of Israel, so that this prediction might as well refer to the redemption from the Babylonian exile as to the period of Messiah. See I. E. on 40:1.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  <em>Can a woman</em>, etc. This is mentioned, because God has given to woman a natural disposition to have pity on her children. 
  עולל═עול <em>Sucking child</em>. Comp. Jer. 6:11; Is. 65:20.
  <em>That she should not have compassion</em>, etc. Repetition of the same idea. 
  גם אלח תשכחנה <em>Yea, they may forget</em>. There are cruel women, that forget their children or themselves;19<i class="footnote">This is the translation according to the Hebrew text או עצמן; the question, however, is not whether they forget themselves, but whether they forget their children. It is possible that עצמן is a corruption of עולליהן their sucking children.</i> or there are women that forget these,19a<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation the pronoun אלה these is the subject of the sentence, and refers to the women; according to the second to the sucking child and the son of her womb.</i> 
  yet will I not forget thee. Her sucking child is mentioned, because the mother has usually more compassion for the little one that has no strength.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <em>I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands</em>. According to the Gaon, the clouds are meant by the palms of my hand;20<i class="footnote">Comp. Rashi <em>ad locum</em> (second explanation), and I. E. on Job 36:34.</i> but I say it is an anthropomorphism, meaning: I shall see thee continually; the second part of the verse, the parallelism of which divides it into two similar halves, confirms the correctness of this explanation.
  
  Verse 17
  
  <em>Thy children</em>, etc. Thy children have come, and all thy destroyers shall go away from thee.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <em>All of them</em>. All of thy children.21<i class="footnote">According to I. E. the pronoun them (–ׇ ם in כֻּלׇּם) refers to thy children of the preceding verse, though separated from it by the sentence thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.</i> R. Moses Hakkohen explains the expression thus: Thy children as well as thy destroyers, that is, the wicked, gathered themselves, etc. According to this explanation the future יֵצֵאוּ is used instead of the past יׇצׇאוּ.22<i class="footnote">The sense of ver. 17 and ver. 18 accordingly is: Thy children make haste, even thy destroyers, etc., that had gone away from thee, all of them now come back unto thee, etc.</i> But it is not necessary to assume this irregularity here. 
  <em>As I live</em>. The decree shall not be annulled; as truly as I am living, it will be acted upon. 
  כקשורי כלה ═ ככלה As the ornament of the bride round her neck.23<i class="footnote">A. V., As a bride doeth. I. E. supplies the noun קשורי ornament, from the preceding verb ותקשרים and bind them. He repeatedly mentions the rule, that every verb implies a verbal noun: so here the noun קשורים is contained in the verb; to this rule another must be added, which is here made use of, namely the rule of ellipsis: מושך עצמו ואחר עמו. A word, mentioned in one sentence, or in one part of the sentence, is sometimes meant for the next likewise.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  תחת חרבותיך ═ חרבותיך Instead of Thy waste places.24<i class="footnote">A. V., Thy waste places. I. E. supplies the preposition תחת instead of, because the second person fem. תצרי does not agree with the plural חרבותיך ,שממתיך.</i> Comp. פשעי for my transgressions (Mic. 6:7); פרים instead of calves (Hos. 14:31.) The verse can also be explained thus: They were thy waste places before, but now, 
  <em>Thou shalt be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants</em>, by reason of the multitude of inhabitants, all of whom are thy children; because they that swallowed them up, will be far away.
  
  Verse 20
  
  גשה לי <em>Give place unto me</em>. Lit. Go thither for my sake. Comp. גש הלאה stand back (Gen. 19:9)
  
  Verse 21
  
  נלמודה <em>Desolate</em>. Remaining lonely; comp. גלמוד solitary (Job 3:7). It is an adjective, of a quadriliteral root. 
  וסורה <em>And removing to and fro</em>. It is an adjective, and not a participle passive;25<i class="footnote">Comp. Rashi <em>ad locum</em>.</i> for סור to depart is a neuter verb. 
  איפה <em>where</em>. It is a compound of two words אי and פה
  
  Verse 22
  
  <em>Behold, I will lift up My hand</em>, etc. As a man lifts up his hand, that he may be seen. This phrase as well as that which follows: <em>And set up my standard</em>, are the same as I shall make known this my salvation. 
  <em>And they shall bring thy sons</em>. By they the Non-Israelites are to be understood.
  בחוצן <em>In their lap</em>.26<i class="footnote">A. V., In their arms.</i> Comp. חצני my lap (Neh. 5:13)
  
  Verse 23
  
  אומניך <em>Thy nursing fathers</em>. Comp. ויהי אמן and he brought up (Est. 2:7). It is a figurative expression for the great honour which will be shown to Israel.
  
  Verse 24
  
  <em>Shall the prey</em>, etc. These words are put into the mouth of Israel by the prophet. How is it possible, the people ask, that Israel should be delivered from the power of the heathen nations ? 
  המלקח <em>The prey</em>, which he has taken, that is, the captives. 
  ואם שבי צדיק ימלט <em>Or shall the righteous</em>27<i class="footnote">A. V., Lawful.</i> <em>captive be delivered</em>, because of his righteousness, after having been taken by the mighty.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <em>The captive of the mighty</em>. The captive which the mighty man has taken, will be taken away from him. 
  עריץ <em>The terrible</em>. It is an adjective with transitive meaning: causing terror; comp. אימים (Gen. 14:5).
  Moreover, <em>I will contend with him that contendeth with thee</em>. I shall make war against those that attack thee. יריבך <em>that contendeth with thee</em>. Some derive it from ירב; others by metathesis from ריב;28<i class="footnote">There is in fact no difference between the two views, whether we assume a new root ירב which has the same meaning as ריב, or say that it is the same root, the י having changed its place; in both cases יריב is a noun, meaning he that contendeth.</i> according to the Jerusalemite29<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 28:12, and note 13.</i> the relative אשר who must be supplied before יריבך, which he explains to be the third person singular masculine future of ריב; he overlooked, however, the parallel instance of יריבי that strive with me (Ps. 35:1).30<i class="footnote">This form cannot be explained to be the future, since in that case it would be יְרִיבֵנִי he that contends with me, or יְרִיבוּנִי they that contend with me.</i> In short it is an irregular form.
  
  Verse 26
  
  מוניך <em>That oppress thee</em>. Comp. ולא תגו ye shall not oppress (Lev. 25:17). Others say that it means: thy numberers, comparing it with מונה that telleth (Jer. 33:13), because Israel is compared to a flock of sheep.31<i class="footnote">It is true that Israel is often compared by the prophets and poets to a flock of sheep; but in this chapter this is not the case, and the verb מוניך, if taken in this figurative sense, would here be too isolated, and out of place.</i> 
  מדמם = דמם <em>With their own blood</em>. An ellipsis is as frequently found in poetry.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ספר כריתות Bill of divorcement.1<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words גט כריתות אמכם ובין אשתו. There is no doubt that this passage is corrupt; the original words were perhaps: כריתות אמכם ֗ גט בין איש ובין אשתו; or כריתות ֗ גט ׃ אמכם ֗ ובין אישה the latter suggestion has been adopted for the translation.</i> 
  <em>Of your mother</em> and her husband.—This verse seems to contradict the prophecy of Jeremiah, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce (3:8); but in fact the latter refers to the kingdom of the ten tribes which will never again be established; comp. She shall no more rise (Am. 5:2); but Isaiah speaks of the kingdom of the house of David, which will be restored by Messiah.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <em>Wherefore when I come</em>, etc. This verse proves that already prophets have tried to make Israel return to the Lord. 
  <em>Behold I dry up</em>, etc. This proves that the power of God will not fail in redeeming Israel.
  
  Verse 3
  
  מלבוש קדרׂות ═ קדרות <em>With black cloth</em>,2<i class="footnote">A. V., With blackness. See c. xlix. Note 23.</i> that is, with clouds. Some understand it to refer to an eclipse of the sun, when the sky becomes obscure in the middle of the day, and appears as if covered with sackcloth, which is usually black.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>The Lord hath given me</em>, etc. The first person refers to the prophet. 
  למודים <em>Learning</em>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., Learned.</i>3<i class="footnote">A. V., Learned4<i class="footnote">The noun which is described by this attribute must be supplied; the adjective may therefore be considered as a substantive meaning the pupils. See c. iii. Note 5.</i>.</i> It is an adjective; comp. למד מדבר used to the wilderness (Jer. 2:24); כלמדים as the pupils (at the end of this verse). 
  לדעת לעות את יעף דבר <em>That I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary</em>. The infinitive לעות is governed by לדעת to know; it is derived from עת time, or it is hap. leg.5<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text seems here to be corrupt. The words והנה לעות לשון עת are written twice, and the explanation of the word יעף which should follow that of לעות, is put in the middle. It may therefore be suggested, that the words והנה לעות לשון עת או היא מלה זרה אין רע לה were intended to be substituted for והנה לעות לשון עת, but were by some misunderstanding misplaced, while the original phrase was allowed to occupy its position. The translation has been made according to this supposition.</i> By him that is weary, the pupil is meant, who has a hard lesson to learn,6<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has דברים קיצים, but יצ seems to be nothing but a mutilated ש; and the original form of the phrase probably was דברים קשים difficult things.</i> of which he soon becomes tired and weary. 
  <em>He wakeneth</em>, etc. The Lord stirreth me up every morning; he stirreth up my ear that I may listen as pupils do; for I am a pupil of the Lord.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <em>The Lord God hath opened mine ear</em>, etc. Since the Lord hath opened mine ear, and revealed His plan to me, I have not objected to be His messenger.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>I gave my back</em>, etc. I did not care that I had to expose my back to strokes for the sake of His name.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>I shall not be ashamed</em>. God will fulfil all the words prophesied by me.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <em>Near is</em>, etc. Near is the time, when I shall appear as justified in my prophecies; then I shall say, Who will, etc.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <em>Behold the Lord</em>, etc. Since God assists me, who will condemn me ? And all those that condemn me by their words, they will wax old as a garment. יבלו <em>They shall wax old</em>. They shall perish.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>Who is amongst you</em>, etc. The prophet now addresses those same people, that condemn him. 
  <em>That walked in darkness</em>, etc. The relative pronoun refers to ירא יי him that feareth the Lord. The meaning of the sentence is, Who is among you, etc., that does not run after material honours and pleasures; let him trust in the Lord, etc.7<i class="footnote">According to this explanation, vers. 10 qualifies the term כלם all of them of the preceding verse. If there be among them any one that acts according to the words of the Lord taught by the prophet, he may trust in the Lord, that he will be saved, and will not be involved in the threatened punishment.</i> According to others, the words that walketh in darkness, describe His servant, the prophet,8<i class="footnote">According to this explanation, this verse contains a rhetorical question, establishing the correctness of the term all of them. There is none among them that acts according to the words of the prophet, who is described here to be walking in darkness, that is, to be exposed to all kinds of trouble and annoyance, but who trusts in the Lord that he will surely be relieved of it.</i> and the meaning of the whole sentence is, Who is among you, etc., that is, there is none among you, that feareth the Lord, because you see the prophet obtaining no honours from the people. This is the right explanation, and it is confirmed by the words which follow.
  
  Verse 11
  
  זיקות <em>Sparks</em>. The meaning of the word must be found from the context.9<i class="footnote">First, it corresponds to אש fire in the parallel phrase; secondly, it is connected with the verb בערתם ye have kindled.</i> מאזרי <em>Who compass</em> yourselves.10<i class="footnote">The verb אזר to compass about, governs two accusatives, the one, זיקות sparks, is the thing which is put round, the other, נפשבם yourselves, which is understood, is the thing round which it is put By the omission of נפשכם the verb becomes similar to a reflective verb.</i> 
  <em>This</em>. This decree.
  למעצבה תשכבון <em>Ye shall lie down in sorrow</em>. You shall die in sorrow. Comp. וישכב דוד and David slept, that is, and David died (1 Kings 2:10); there are, besides, a great many instances of the use of the verb שכב in this sense.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <em>Hearken to me</em>. The prophet speaks now to the good people, who believe in the words of the prophets. 
  <em>Look</em>, etc. Be not surprised how Zion can again be filled with her children as before, but look, etc. 
  <em>Look unto the rock</em>. Comp. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock (Ex. 18:6).1<i class="footnote">By this quotation I. E. intends to prove the use of phrases like to stand upon the rock, to look unto the rock in a figurative sense. The phrase quoted from Exodus refers to God, and can therefore by no means be taken in its literal meaning.</i>
   <em>Unto the rock</em>. Unto the name of the rock,1a<i class="footnote">This is the literal translation of the Hebrew text; but it is possible that the word שם is a superfluous repetition of the word שׇם in the preceding phrase; if that be the case, the translation must be thus: ממנו צור שחצבתם ═ צור חצבתם the rock of which you are hewn, and that is Abraham.</i> of which you are hewn; that is, unto the name of Abraham. 
  מקבת <em>The hole</em>. Comp. ויקב and bored (2 Kings 12:9).
  <em>To the hole of the pit</em>, etc. Sarah is meant.
  
  Verse 2
  
  תחוללכם <em>That bare you</em>. According to R. Jonah, it is future, like 2<i class="footnote">This word is not to be found in the Bible; very probably another word was intended by I. E.</i>,תשובבכם instead of the past חוללתכם. R. Moses Hakkohen believes it to be an adjective, although there is no other adjective of the same form.3<i class="footnote">The feminine is here required, and if תחוללבם is not a verb, but a noun, the ת is the prefix indicating the form of the noun, while the feminine termination ה or ת is missing.</i> 
  וַאֲבׇרְכֵהוּ <em>And blessed him</em>. The ו has Pathah, because ואברכהו is future: it means, I told him that I should bless him; and so it was. In the same way.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <em>The Lord shall comfort Zion</em>, etc. Thus the connection of this verse with the preceding one is explained. <em>He hath comforted all her waste places</em>, by the multitude of her children, of her inhabitants.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>Hearken unto me</em>. The first person in this verse refers to God.
  <em>A law</em>. The word of God proclaimed by the prophet.4<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 8:16 and 20.</i> 
  ארגיע <em>I will make to rest</em>. Comp. המרנעה the rest (28:12). One of the commentators5<i class="footnote">The Grammarian R. Jonah, quoted in Michlal Jophi ad locum.</i> explains it: I will do in a moment, without delay. The first explanation is better.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <em>Is near</em>, to be seen. 
  זרועי <em>Mine arms</em>, is the subject. עמים <em>The people</em> is the object. <em>The isles shall wait upon me</em>, etc., at that time.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>Lift up your eyes</em>, etc. Philosophers derive from this verse the doctrine of the immortality of the soul of man;6<i class="footnote">If all die, and the salvation of the Lord still remains, there must be left something, that is to enjoy that salvation; if the bodies die, the souls are supposed to remain alive. According to I. E. this is not the idea expressed by the words of this verse; they contain rather in a hyperbolical manner, the idea that the salvation of the Lord is sure to come, even if the present sad aspect of affairs gives no room for that hope.</i> their doctrine is right; but this verse certainly does not contain it. השמים The sky.7<i class="footnote">A. V., The heavens.—According to I. E. there are various kinds of heavenly worlds, some of which possess immortality; the sky, (רקיע) is the lowest, the one nearest to the earth.</i> הארץ The inhabited part of the earth. Both may perish, but the salvation of the Lord, His faithfulness, His righteousness remains8<i class="footnote">I. E. comparing this phrase with a similar one (Ps. 112:3) explains the verb היה by the verb עמד, which more exclusively expresses duration, while היה has also the meaning to become, signifying a single act.</i> for ever.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>The reproach of men</em>. The reproach of the Babylonians and the heathen peoples that have been brought to Babylon as captives.
  
  Verse 8
  
  סס <em>The worm</em>. It is hap. leg. <em>But my righteousness shall be for ever</em>. Comp. And His righteousness endureth for ever (Ps. 112:8).8<i class="footnote">I. E. comparing this phrase with a similar one (Ps. 112:3) explains the verb היה by the verb עמד, which more exclusively expresses duration, while היה has also the meaning to become, signifying a single act.</i>
  
  Verse 9
  
  עורי <em>Awake</em>. The accent is on the last syllable; there are many instances of this exception.9<i class="footnote">According to the rules of accentuation in Hebrew, the accent should be on the first syllable. See I. E. on 3:26, note 25.</i> 
  <em>Put on strength, O arm of the Lord</em>. The strength is, like the garment, an ornament of the arm. 
  רהב <em>Tyrant</em>.10<i class="footnote">A. V., Rahab. The proud.</i> Comp. רהבים tyrants (Ps. 40:5; 87:4). 
  מחוללת <em>Causing terror</em>.11<i class="footnote">A. V., Wounded.</i> Comp. חיל trembling (Ex. 15:14). He has caused terror by the miracles done in Egypt. 
  <em>The dragon</em>. Pharaoh is meant; comp. I am against thee, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great dragon, etc. (Ez. 29:3)
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>Which hath dried the sea</em>. This refers to the division of the Red Sea. מי תהום רבה <em>The waters of the great deep</em>. Repeat הטחרבת which hath dried before these words.
  השמה <em>That hath made</em>. It is in form similar to השבה that hath returned (Ruth 2:6). The second part of the verse is a mere repetition of the idea contained in the first.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <em>And the redeemed</em>, etc. The connection between this and the preceding verses is: Awake, O arm, etc., and then, when this is the case, the redeemed of the Lord shall return. I have explained this already (35:10)
  
  Verse 12
  
  <em>I am he that comforteth you</em>. The pronouns I and you, refer to the prophet and the people respectively. 
  <em>Thou</em>. It is generally believed that Israel is here addressed; but I think, that the prophet speaks to his own soul, in a prophetical spirit;12<i class="footnote">That is, the prophet is addressed by God. The quotation which follows proves it, because it cannot be said according to I. E. of the whole nation, And I have put my words in thy mouth.</i> comp. And I have put my words in thy mouth (ver. 16). 
  כחציר═חציר <em>As grass</em>. Comp. אש אכלח as consuming fire13<i class="footnote">A. V., Consuming fire.</i> (Deut. 4:24)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <em>And forgottest</em>. It is as if thou didst forget. The prophet, in his prophetical spirit, speaks thus to his own heart. <em>The Lord thy Maker</em>, who is omnipotent; for heaven and earth are in His power. 
  <em>The oppressor</em>. Comp. I gave my back to the smiters (50:6).
  <em>To destroy</em>, that is, to kill men. <em>And where is</em>, etc. Where is now the fury of the oppressor.
  
  Verse 14
  
  צועה <em>The captive exile</em>. Comp. צועים oppressors.14<i class="footnote">A. V., Wanderers. Shall cause him to wander.</i> וצעוהו and they shall oppress them (Jer. 48:2). The literal meaning of the word, though a participle active,15<i class="footnote">This remark seems to be out of its proper place in the Hebrew text; its proper place is either after the quotations with which the word is compared, namely after וצעוהו, or at the end after the explanation of the neuter meaning of the word, namely after לעד. The latter order of the words has been adopted for the translation.</i> is bound; he who is oppressed, and is in distress, is, as it were, bound. This meaning of the word is proved by the words which follow: that he may be loosed. 
  <em>And that he should not die</em>. The prophet is meant.
  <em>Nor that his bread should fail</em>, as was the case with Micaiah and Jeremiah, who received but scanty food (1 Kings 22:27; Jer. xxxvii.)
  
  Verse 15
  
  רגע <em>Who stilleth</em>.16<i class="footnote">A. V., Who divided.</i> Some say that נער ═ רגע who rebuketh, by metathesis; others compare it with מרגוע rest (Jer. 6:17), and render it who giveth rest; I approve of this latter explanation. 17<i class="footnote">These words are not directly mentioned in the text; and the remark on it seems to belong to the explanation of the word רגע; but indirectly I. E. intended by the words אחר שהמו גליו to paraphrase the words ויהמו גליו and to indicate that, although placed after רגע they do not express the effect, but rather the cause.</i>ויהמו גליו <em>Whose waves roared</em>, that is, whose waves have been roaring. The meaning of the verse might also be the following: I am he who stilleth the sea, but I am also he who commandeth that its waves shall roar. Sea and waves are figurative expressions for the oppressors.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <em>I have covered thee</em> to protect thee against him, who was ready to destroy (ver. 13). 
  <em>To plant the heavens</em>. A figurative expression for the announcement to be made to the countries that they shall be restored to their former happiness.
  ליסוד <em>To lay the foundations</em>. It is the infinitive; the radical י is silent, according to the rule;18<i class="footnote">The י after a Hirek is silent, when it has no vowel of its own.</i> the word ליסוד is, however, in form similar to the perfect verb;19<i class="footnote">לִיְסד is fully corresponding to לִשְׁמוֹר; all the letters of the root are written; the Sheva under the second letter is dropped on account of the property of the י mentioned in the preceding note.</i> comp. לישון to sleep (Eccl. 5:11)
  
  Verse 17
  
  <em>Which hast drunk</em>, etc. Israel is compared to a man that is drunk, and is not aware of what is done unto him; he lies down in deep sleep. 
  קבעת <em>The dregs</em>. It is hap. leg. Some explain it to signify the dregs that are fixed (קבע to fix) to the bottom of the vessel.
  התרעלה <em>Trembling</em>. Comp. הרעלו they have been shaken (Nah. 2:4). <em>The cup of trembling</em>, that is, the cup, at the sight of which man trembles. 
  מצית <em>Thou hast wrung out</em>. Comp. תמצו you may milk out (66:11), though of a different conjugation.20<i class="footnote">בנינים is perhaps a corruption of שרשים or פעלים, for both words are of the same conjugation, namely Kal. They differ in their derivation; the root of מצית s מצה, that of תמצו is מצץ.</i> The meaning of this figure is, thou hast received the full measure of evil.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <em>There is none to guide her</em>. Israel is like a woman, that has none to guide her; Israel has no king nor judge, to be saved by him.
  
  Verse 19
  
  ינוד <em>Shall be sorry</em>. Comp. לנוד to mourn (Job 2:11). שתים וגוי
  <em>Two things</em>, etc. Desolation and the sword are the same, for desolation accompanies the sword; destruction and famine are likewise the same;21<i class="footnote">The verse quoted by I. E. בשברי לכם מטה לחם seems to be in no connexion whatever with the preceding phrase כי השוד לעולם עם החרב; it proves only that שבד and דעב are connected together, but it contains nothing concerning the identity of שוד and חרב. The original Hebrew text probably contained also the words השבר הוא הרעב, to which the quotation which follows refers.</i> comp. בשברי לכם מטה לחם. and when I have broken the staff of your bread (Lev. 26:26). Others explain שתים In pairs. The evils come unto thee in pairs. 
  במי═מי <em>By whom. By whom shall I comfort thee ?</em> Man is usually comforted by being told that some other man has met with the same accident.
  
  Verse 20
  
  עולפו <em>Have fainted</em>. Comp. ויתעלף and he fainted (Jon. 4:8).
  <em>They lie</em>. They are killed by famine and sword.
  תוא A bird.22<i class="footnote">A. V., A wild bull.</i> It is hap. leg. כתוא מכמר As the bird of the net, that is, the bird caught in a net. מכמר <em>Net</em>. Comp. מכמוריו their own nets (Ps. 141:10). 
  <em>The rebuke of thy God</em>. This is the explanation of the preceding, the fury of the Lord.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <em>Hear now</em>, the prophecy which follows in the next verses. 
  ושכורת <em>And drunken with</em>. Supply חמה anger, אף wrath, or רעות evils.23<i class="footnote">The supplement is deemed necessary by I. E. because שְׁכוּרַת is the form generally used for the construct state. See c. xv. Note 2, and c. xxi. Note 22.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  יריב עמו <em>He will plead the cause of His people</em>.24<i class="footnote">A. V., That pleadeth the cause of His people.</i> Comp. אלמנה ריב the cause of the widow (1:23)
  
  Verse 23
  
  מוגיך <em>That afflict thee</em>. Comp. יגון trouble. It is Hiphil of יגה. Comp. הוגה He hath afflicted (Lam. 1:12).
  <em>Bow down</em>, that is, make thyself low, <em>that we may go over</em> thee. 
  <em>And as the street</em>, etc. Repetition of the same idea.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  All agree that this prophecy has reference to the time yet to come, notwithstanding the passage Depart ye, etc. (ver. 11), which is adduced by R. Moses Hakkohen, though in error, as I shall prove, in answer to this opinion. How could this prophecy be referred to the deliverance and return of the captives in Babylon, when it is said, the uncircumcised and unclean shall no more come unto thee (ver. 1.); for this is as the waters of Noah, etc. (54:1); thus have I sworn (ibid.); such expressions characterise an irrevocable decree.1<i class="footnote">Since these prophecies are described as irrevocable decrees, but have not been verified at the return of the Israelites from the Babylonian exile, they are still to be fulfilled, and refer therefore to the days of Messiah.</i>
  לא יוסיף יבוא <em>Shall no more come</em>. As to יבוא and יוסיף following each other without conjunction, comp: אל תרבו תדברו talk no more. The conjunction שֶׁ 2<i class="footnote">That is אֲשֶׁר; I. E. says שֶׁ, because he is more used to it than to the full form אשר, although in the Bible the syncopated form is very rare.</i> is omitted by poetical license.3<i class="footnote">The omission of the conjunction between words and sentences is often met with in poetry or in poetical prose (oratory), but is very rare in the usual prose.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <em>Shake thyself from the dust</em>. It is a figurative expression. The prophet therefore4<i class="footnote">The word therefore does not refer to the remark immediately preceding, but to the words of the text, Shake thyself from the dust, which imply, that she was lying in the dust.—The words sit down are to be contrasted with the lying in dust.</i> continues, Arise, sit down; for Jerusalem is compared to one that has been lying down in dust. 
  <em>Loose thyself</em>, etc. Thou wilt be no more under the dominion of another nation.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <em>You have been sold</em>, etc. I have sold you to the nations without receiving money for you, and so will I redeem you without giving money for you.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>My people went down</em>, etc. Many evils came over my people from the beginning; for when, long ago, they went down to Egypt to sojourn there, they were oppressed. 
  באפס <em>Without cause</em>. For nothing. <em>And the Assyrian without cause oppressed them</em>. This refers to the exile of the ten tribes.
  
  Verse 5
  
  מה לי פה <em>What have I here</em>, any more.5<i class="footnote">After the people has been carried away into captivity.</i> It is an anthropomorphism. It might also mean, what reason have I to be silent, 
  <em>that my people is taken away for nought</em> by Babylon, Edom, and other nations. 
  ומשליו And they that rule over them, that is, the princes of Israel, or His poets; comp. המשלים they that speak in proverbs (Num. 21:27). 
  יהילילו <em>Hoẇl</em>.6<i class="footnote">A. V., Make them to howl.</i> The ה, the characteristic of the Hiphil, is here not omitted, as is usually the case. 
  מתנאץ═מנאץ <em>Is blasphemed</em>. The Dagesh in נ compensates for the omitted ת.7<i class="footnote">I. E. does not describe this form as a compound of Hithpael and Pual, but as the Hithpolel, which is a conjugation by itself, regularly formed of verbs ע״ו and ע״ע, but exceptionally of other verbs.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>Therefore my people shall know my name</em> when I shall proclaim, Behold, it is I.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>How beautiful upon the mountains</em>, etc. After I shall have helped thee, that is, after I have said, Behold, it is I, then how beautiful, etc. נאוו <em>Are beautiful</em>. It is Niphal of אוה to desire. Comp. תאוה desire. He who thinks that נ in נאוו is radical, is mistaken, although the root נאה to be beautiful is found in Rabbinical literature.8<i class="footnote">Comp. the phrase לך נאה לשבח It is becoming to praise Thee, which is frequently met with in the Hebrew liturgy.</i> 
  <em>Thy God reigneth</em>. This is the explanation of הנני behold, it is I.
  
  Verse 8
  
  קול צפיך נשאו קול יחדיו ירננו <em>The voice of thy watchmen</em>,8a<i class="footnote">That is, the watchmen whom thou wilt appoint for thyself, while the bearers of good tidings mentioned in the preceding verse are appointed by God. The Hebrew text has the words צופים שיש לך watchmen that are unto thee as the explanation of צופיך thy watchmen, but it is difficult to see why this possessive pronoun should require the explanatory paraphrase, more than the very many others in the Bible. The word שיש is perhaps a corruption of שים appoint, an קול צופיך is to be translated accordingly: Let there be the voice of thy own watchmen.</i> <em>all of them shall lift up their voices, they shall shout</em>,9<i class="footnote">A. V., Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing.</i> bringing good tidings to thee. 
  <em>For they shall see</em>, etc. For all of them shall see with their own eyes that the Lord has returned to Zion. Comp. That thou, Lord, art seen face to face (Num. 14:14)
  
  Verse 9
  
  פצחו <em>Break forth</em>. A poetical expression for speak. The word has the same meaning in Arabic.10<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 14:7.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>Hath made bare His holy arm</em>. He has shown His strength. It is a figure taken from the hero that slays with the strength of his arm.
  אפסי <em>The ends of</em>. Some consider this word as hap. leg., its meaning being found from the context. According to others, it is to be compared with באפסו═באפס in his land (ver. 4); ואפסי and my land (47:8).11<i class="footnote">The phrase אני ואפסי עוד is according to this explanation, to be translated I and my land shall remain for ever. A. V., I am, and none else beside me. According to I. E. I am, and none besides.</i> To others the א is prosthetic; they compare, therefore, אפס with פיסת a handful (Ps. 72:16).12<i class="footnote">It is difficult to see the connection between פיסת handful and אפסי ends. The latter is perhaps according to this translation to be rendered like מְלׂאׇהּ the fulness of or the inhabitants of.</i> I connect it with מי אפסים waters to the ankles (Ez. 47:3).13<i class="footnote">The meaning of אפס is according to this explanation, ankle extremity, and אפסי ארץ the extremities of the earth, or the ends of the earth.</i> It is not in the least surprising that the text attributes to God hand, foot, heart, and mouth; the meaning of such figures is well known. He who speaks, as well as he who is addressed, is a human being; the idea is therefore clothed in such language as can be understood by man.14<i class="footnote">This observation is made here by I. E. as if he wanted to refute the opinion of those that try to explain here the arm of the Lord by Messiah.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <em>Depart ye</em> from Babylon, according to R. Moses Hakkohen. I think that these words are addressed to those that are still in exile among the nations.
  The repetition of Depart ye is to indicate that it is to be done immediately. Comp. Turn in, my lord, turn in to me (Jud. 4:18). 
  <em>From thence</em>. Every one from the place of his exile.15<i class="footnote">שׇׁם there seems to point to one certain place, but since no such place is mentioned before, its meaning must be found from the context. R. Moses Hakkohen, who refers this whole section of the book to the Babylonian captivity, understands by there the city or country of Babylon. I. E. who refers this section to the period of Messiah, understands by the word שׇׁם all the countries whither the Jews came during the exile. It is, however, strange that שׇׁם is explained by I. E. to refer to one country only and to require paraphrasing like מִתּׂכׇהּ, since it could easily be connected with כל הגוים all the nations. The parallelism of the verse (שם═מתכה) perhaps gave rise to this explanation.</i>
  <em>It is unclean, touch not</em>, that is, keep away from the heathen nations. 
  <em>Go ye out of the midst of her</em>. Every one shall go out of the country of his exile. Babylon has not been mentioned in any of these chapters.16<i class="footnote">That is from c. l., if we are to consider the north (49:12) and Babylon to be the same (see I. E. ad locum); or, if not, from c. xlix., since Babylon is mentioned 48:20.</i> 
  הברו <em>Be ye clean</em>. It is Niphal. The Dagesh, which usually compensates for the omitted letter, is here left out, because ר is a guttural letter.17<i class="footnote">The root of the word is ברר; the one ר being omitted, a Dagesh in the other is required for its compensation, instead of which the preceding short vowel (Pathah) is produced into the long Kamez: although ר is no guttural letter, it shares this property with the gutturals.</i> 
  <em>Ye that bear the vessels of the Lord</em>. The Israelites, who are the bearers of the law.18<i class="footnote">The Law (תורה) is called here according to I. E. כלי יי the vessels or the instruments of the Lord, because it is the means by which God makes mankind holy and happy.</i> Some refer these words to the Levites, who are the bearers of the Holy Ark; but I prefer the former explanation.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <em>Not with haste</em>, as was the case at the departure from Egypt. 
  <em>For the Lord</em>, that is, the Glory of the Lord,19<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 18:4, and Note 10.</i> 
  <em>is going before you</em>. ומאספכם And your gatherer, that is, he who gathers the people scattered by the exile. I however, explain it and your rereward; God will surround them from all sides; His Glory will be before and behind them. Comp. מאסף rereward (Num. 10:25)
  
  Verse 13
  
  The passage which follows offers great difficulties. The Christians refer it to Jesus, and explain my servant to indicate the body. This is wrong; the body cannot be wise, even during the life of man. Again, what is the meaning of he shall see his seed (53:10), he shall prolong his days (ib.)? This was not in fact the case. Again, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong (53:12).20<i class="footnote">This, if taken literally, was not the case; if in any figurative sense, the whole argument is destroyed which is based on the supposition of a minute coincidence of the facts here predicted with the incidents in the life of Jesus.</i> The best proof,21<i class="footnote">ראיה גמורה means literally a perfect or complete proof. The first proof was a negative one, but the proof introduced with these words is a positive one that the chapter refers to Israel or to the prophet.</i> however, is the circumstance that this passage is preceded by the Lord will go before you, etc., which undoubtedly refers to the Israelites, and is followed by Sing, O barren, etc., which is likewise addressed to the Israelites. <em>My servant</em>. The Israelites, who are the servants of the Lord, and are now in exile. Many believe that Messiah is meant by this expression, because our ancient teachers said that Messiah was born on the day on which the temple was destroyed, that he was, as it were, bound in chains, etc.;22<i class="footnote">Comp. Midrash Rabba, Echa 1:16. The passage must be taken in a figurative sense, namely, that on the day on which the temple was destroyed, it was already decreed, by the Almighty that it should again be rebuilt, but that the restoration would be dependent on the return of the Israelites to God and to His word.</i> but many verses in this passage cannot be explained on this supposition. Comp. He is despised and rejected of men, he was taken from prison and judgment, and he made his grave with the wicked, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days. The Gaon R. Saadiah refers the whole passage to Jeremiah. His explanation is beautiful; he says: <em>he shall scatter many nations</em> by his words, by his prophecy. Comp. Jer. 1:10. <em>As a tender plant</em>. Jeremiah was young when he began to prophesy (Jer. 1:6). <em>And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of all of us; he took away the sin of many</em>. Comp. Remember that I stood before thee, to speak good for them, and to turn away the wrath from them (ibid. 18:20). <em>He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter</em>. Comp. But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter (ibid. 11:19). <em>And he shall divide the spoil with the strong</em>. Jeremiah received presents and gifts from the Babylonian chief of the guard (ibid. 40:5). But I think that this passage must be connected with the chapters that procede and follow. What reason is there for mentioning Jeremiah here after some of the comforting prophecies, and before others of the same kind ? The singular, my servant, is used because the prophet speaks of every one that is a servant of the Lord and suffers in exile, or because ישראל עבדי ═ )עבדי my servant Israel,) refers to the whole nation; the latter reason is more probable. 
  <em>My servant shall be wise</em>, etc. My servant shall see and understand, that he will again be high and exalted. נשא <em>Exalted</em>. It is Niphal.
  
  Verse 14
  
  שממו <em>Were astonished</em>. Comp. ושממו and shall be astonished (Lev. 26:32). Every one will be surprised at the sight of the servant of the Lord.
  <em>Many</em>. The heathen nations.
  כן משחת מאיש מראהו <em>His visage is so marred more than any man</em>. Supply לאמר saying before this sentence.23<i class="footnote">That is, the words His visage is so marred more than any man are the <em>expression</em> of the surprise felt at the sight of the servant of God, not as suggested by some commentators, the <em>cause</em> of the surprise. A.V., His visage was, etc.</i> משחת <em>Marred</em>. It is an adjective. 
  ותארו <em>And his form</em>. It is in form similar to רחבו his breadth (Exod. 25:10).24<i class="footnote">The two words, as in the printed editions of the Bible, are not quite alike; the one has Kamez in the first syllable (רׇחְבּוֹ) the other Holem (תֹּאֲרוֹ); this leads to the conjecture that I. E. read תׇּאֳרוֹ.</i>—It is a well-known fact that many people in the world imagine the Jew a being altogether different from his fellow creatures; they ask, Has the Jew a mouth, an eye, etc.? This is the case among Mahometans as well as among Christians.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <em>So shall he sprinkle many nations</em>, etc. This verse is the explanation of the words he will be high and exalted. As it was true 25<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text are כאשר היה כן אמתנו, but if we compare them with the corresponding words in the antithesis, we are inclined to correct them into: כאשר היה זמן as there was a time.</i> that his form was destroyed in the sight of those that saw him, so truly will come the time when their oppressors25a<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has מהם of them and refers to הראים those that saw them mentioned before; but both must be understood to refer to the enemies and oppressors of the Israelites.</i> will be punished. 
  יזה <em>He will sprinkle</em> the blood of many nations.
  Then <em>kings shall shut their mouths at him</em>. בשבילו═עליו for him.
  <em>That which had not been told them, they have seen</em>.26<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall they see.</i> They, the heathen peoples, could not believe that Israel would ever be delivered.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <em>Who hath believed</em>, etc. Then the Non-Israelites shall say, Who would have believed, that it would turn out as we have heard. 
  <em>And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed</em>, as it has been revealed to Israel.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <em>And he grew up</em>, etc. That Israelite who is the servant of the Lord,1<i class="footnote">That is, the prophet.</i> or the whole nation of the Israelites, <em>grew up</em>2<i class="footnote">A. V., For he shall grow up.</i> 
  <em>before him</em>, that is, before the Lord,
  <em>as a tender plant</em>—comp., his branches shall spread (Hosea 14:7)—
  <em>and as a root out of dry land</em>, that neither produces fruit, nor distinguishes itself by its size. 
  <em>He hath no form</em>. This expression has the same meaning as the phrase ותארו מבני אדם and his form was marred more than that of the sons of men (52:14).
  ולא מראה ולא נחמדהו ═ ולא מראה ונחמדהו there is no beauty, nor do we desire him; the negation לא before מראה, refers also to נחמדהו; comp. Prov. 21:14
  
  Verse 3
  
  וחדל אישים He ceased to be counted with men.3<i class="footnote">A. V., And rejected of men.</i> 
  איש מכאבות <em>A man of sorrows</em>. The servant of the Lord, or the whole nation of the Israelites; in the latter case איש is to be compared with the same word in the phrase יי איש מלחמה (Exod. 15:3),4<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 40:26, and Note 59.</i> and to be explained a being; it is in the construct state. <em>Sorrows, grief</em>. The troubles which Israel has to suffer during the exile are meant. 
  <em>And we hid, as it were, our faces from him</em>. Even in our days there are people who turn aside at the sight of a Jew, lest they may be obliged to assist him.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>Surely he hath borne</em>, etc. The summary of this verse is: We have caused him grief, and he has borne it; he has endured our sorrow, that is, the sorrow which we have inflicted upon him, and we thought that he was stricken, etc. 
  נגוע <em>Stricken</em>. Comp. נגע plague (Lev. 13:5).
  מֻבֵּה <em>Smitten of</em>. It is in the construct state. <em>Smitten of God and afflicted</em>.
  While we deserved to be afflicted with all this grief, because our religion is false, it came instead upon Israel, who follow the true religion. Comp. All we like sheep have gone astray (ver. 6)
  
  Verse 5
  
  מחולל <em>Slain</em>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., Wounded.</i> Comp. חלל slain (Deut. 21:1). 
  <em>The chastisement of our peace was upon him</em>. The chastisement was inflicted upon him for the purpose of prolonging our peace, as we see; for <em>With his stripes we are healed</em>. 
  The meaning of this verse is: God will in future visit those nations that trouble Israel with punishment (comp. Joel 4:21): but at present the chastisement of our peace is upon him; for it is well known that so long as Israel is in exile, the heathen peoples will enjoy happiness; while of the time of our deliverance it is predicted, And there will be a time of trouble (Dan. 12:1); moreover, when the angels said, All the earth is dwelling in peace; one of them asked, How long wilt Thou not pity Jerusalem ? (Zech. 1:11, 12), because he thought that so long as the heathen people have peace, Jerusalem would not find mercy.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>All we like sheep</em>, etc. At last they will acknowledge the truth; that it was an error to think him smitten of God (ver. 4), comp. Surely our fathers have inherited lies, etc. (Jer. 16:14). 
  הפגיע <em>Hath laid</em>. Lit. Hath caused to meet; comp. ויפגע and he alighted (Gen. 28:11).
  עון Lit. iniquity; here it means the punishment for the iniquity. Comp. עון punishment (1 Sam. 28:10; Gen. 15:16;6<i class="footnote">The passage referred to is כי לא שלם עון האמרי for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full (A.V.). It requires, however, to be proved that עון in this passage means punishment.</i> Lam. 4:6). Some explain הפגיע he caused to pray; עון has, according to their opinion, the usual meaning iniquity; and the sense of the whole phrase is: God will accept the prayer of Israel, that peace shall be on earth. Comp. And seek the peace of the city, etc. (Jer. 29:7). But עון in this sense, joined with הפגיע בו, is rather an unusual construction.7<i class="footnote">If פגע ב means to pray to, the meaning of the Hiphil הפגיע ב is, to cause to pray to, and also, to accept the prayer, if the noun governed by the preposition ב is the same as the subject to the verb הפגיע; and הפגיע בר is to be translated, He caused to pray to Himself; if, therefore, the phrase הפגיע בו is followed by a noun in the accusative, this must express either the person who is caused to pray, or the object of the prayer. The accusative עון is neither the one nor the other, since in the latter case, not the iniquity but the atonement for the iniquity, not the punishment, but the cancelling of the punishment, (not עון but כפרת עון) is the object of the prayer.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  נגש <em>He was oppressed</em>. It is Niphal.
  <em>Yet he opened not his mouth</em>. This requires no explanation; for this is the case with every Jew in exile; when he is insulted he dares not reply, especially the pious one who devotes himself only to the service of God, and does not care for worldly prosperity; nor does he know any prince or chief whom to ask for assistance, when oppressed by man. The phrase Yet he does not open his mouth, is repeated to express the continuity of this fact.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <em>He was taken</em>, etc. God redeemed Israel; namely, those of them that were righteous. 
  God took them from prison, where they were kept 
  by the judgments of vengeance.
  ישוחח <em>Shall declare</em>. Comp. שיח speak (Job. 12:8). Who could have told his generation that this could happen, since they were already as cut off out of the land of the living. 
  <em>For the transgression of my people was he stricken</em>. Every nation will think: Israel was stricken because of our sins; comp. he was slain for our transgressions (ver. 5). The construction of the sentence is: For the transgression of my people plagues came over them. להם═למו To them, that is, to the Israelites.
  
  Verse 9
  
  Some refer this verse to those Israelites that die in exile; others derive במתיו from במה high place; comp. במתימו their high places (Deut. 33:29), and refer it to the building erected over the grave; so that קברו═במתיו his tomb. 
  רשע═עשיר <em>Wicked</em>.8<i class="footnote">A.V., Rich.</i> The heathen nations that are rich in comparison with Israel are meant. I think that this verse describes the trouble of the Israelites in exile, which is so great, that they long to die with the nations; comp. Let me die with the Philistines (Jud. 16:20). As to ויתן he longed to give;9<i class="footnote">A. V., And be made. And warred.—The passage refers to Balak, King of Moab, who did not, in fact, fight with Israel, but sent for Balaam to curse them. The imperfect used in this sense is called by the grammarians imperfectum conatûs.</i>9<i class="footnote">A. V., And be made. And warred.—The passage refers to Balak, King of Moab, who did not, in fact, fight with Israel, but sent for Balaam to curse them. The imperfect used in this sense is called by the grammarians imperfectum conatûs.</i> comp. וילחם and he intended to fight  (Jos. 24:9). That this longing for death is caused by the great pains, may be inferred from the words which follow: because he had done no violence. The heathen nations oppress Israel without cause; he neither deserves such ill-treatment, by any wrong act nor by any ambiguous, deceitful word. If the objection should be made that בׇּמוׂת does not change in the construct state into בְּמוׂת, as is the case in בְּמׂתׇיו, I answer, that this noun has two forms in the plural, like סריס officer: סׇרִיסֵי (Gen. 40:7); and סְרִיסֵי (Est. 6:14)
  
  Verse 10
  
  דַּכְּאוׂ <em>To bruise him</em>. It is in form similar to דַּבְּרוׂ, to speak with him (Gen. 37:4). It is Piel. 
  החלי <em>He hath put him to grief</em>. It is a verb ל״ה, but conjugated like a verb 10<i class="footnote">The Hiphil of the verb ל״א has Hirek in the second syllable followed by יא, <em>e.g</em>. קרא he called, הִקְרִיא, while the Hiphil of the verb ל״ה has Kamez followed by ה, <em>e.g</em>. קרה he met, הִקְרׇה. This distinction is, however, not always adhered to: so here החלִי, the apocopated form of החלִיא, instead of החלׇה the root being חלה.</i>;ל״א comp. תחלואיה אשר חלה the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it (Deut. 29:21). <em>God was pleased to bruise him</em>, to chastise him with exile. 
  אם תשים אשם נפשו <em>If his soul shall set his guilt</em>11<i class="footnote">A. V., When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.</i> before him, that is, if he will confess and fear the Lord.12<i class="footnote">The corresponding words of the Hebrew text are יראת השם. But they are not required at all for the explanation of the words in question, and are besides, in no grammatical connection with the preceding words. They are superfluous, and are probably nothing more than a repetition of the succeeding יראה, which was wrongly changed into יראת ה׳.</i> <em>He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days</em>. He and his children will enjoy the salvation, which the Lord will grant them. This refers to that generation which will return to God, that is, to the law of God, in the days of Messiah. 
  <em>And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand</em>. The true religion shall prosper, all nations will accept it.
  
  Verse 11
  
  מעמל נפשו יראה ישבע <em>For the travail of his soul he shall see, he shall be satisfied</em>.13<i class="footnote">A. V., He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.</i> 
  He shall see the reward of his forbearance, and shall find his desire fulfilled; or he shall enjoy prosperity in such a degree that he will be satisfied, because צדיק עבדי לרבים בדעתו יצדיק <em>By his knowledge he will cause many to be just</em>.14<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall my righteous servant justify many.</i> He will teach the nations how to live according to the Law. 
  <em>And he shall bear their iniquities</em>. Israel will sympathise with the heathen nations in their misfortunes, which have come upon them for their many sins; although they do not sympathise with Israel in his afflictions. The meaning of the phrase might also be this: The Israelites will pray to God for the other nations, and thereby take away their sins; comp. (Zech. 14:18).15<i class="footnote">The passage referred to, And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain, there shall be the plague, etc. indicates, according to the opinion of I. E., that the Egyptians (and other nations likewise) shall come up to Jerusalem, and tell the Israelites of their distress; the Israelites will then pray for them, or join them in their prayer, and God will send the relief and comfort prayed for.</i> I approve of the latter explanation, since its correctness is evidenced by the words which follow.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <em>Therefore will I divide him</em>, etc. All commentators agree that in this verse the prophet speaks of those that die for the unity of God, explaining the expression ברבים <em>with the great</em>—comp. רב chief (Est. 1:8)—to signify the prophets, and understand by עצומים <em>the strong</em> the patriarchs. 16<i class="footnote">The prophets and patriarchs are the founders of the nation of Israel, therefore the adjectives רבים great, and עצומים mighty are properly applied to them; but there is probably no special reason why the former should refer to the prophets and the latter to the patriarchs, and not the reverse.</i> According to this explanation the meaning of the whole verse is, The merit of those that die for the unity of God, is equal to the merit of the prophets and patriarchs. We know that this is true, but the subject has no connection with the context of this chapter. I explain it as follows: I will certainly give to Israel a portion of the spoil and booty taken from many nations; 
  מן עצומים ═ את עצומים of the strong; comp. את העיר from the city (Exod. 9:29).
  תחת <em>For</em>. The reward for having poured out, etc. הערה <em>He poured out</em>. Some render it, he has discovered; that is, he has done publicly. I think it is to be compared with ותער and she emptied (Gen. 24:20), though of a different conjugation,17<i class="footnote">תְּעַר the apocopated form of תְּעׇרֶה is Piel, הֶעֱרָה is Hiphil.</i> and especially with אל תער נפשי do not pour out my soul (Psalm 141:8), and to be rendered he poured out. 
  ואת And with.
  פשעים <em>Transgressors</em> of the word of God.
  <em>And with the transgressors he was numbered</em>, etc. Israel was considered like people that transgress the will of God. 
  <em>And he bare the sin of many</em>. In consequence of the troubles of Israel, the other nations had peace; the punishment which the latter deserved was inflicted upon the former. 
  <em>And made intercession for the transgressors</em>.
  He prayed to God for the transgressors. Comp. Jer. 29:7. By the transgressors, the heathen nations are meant.18<i class="footnote">That vexed and illtreated Israel.</i>
  I have thus explained the whole passage, on the supposition that it refers to Israel;19<i class="footnote">The explanation given in the whole chapter seems to be only a concession made to the general opinion, that these chapters, from xl.—lxvi., have no inner connexion throughout, and that in this portion עבדי my servant refers to Israel. His own opinion is, that the servant of the Lord is the prophet, who was in Babylon in exile with his brethren, illtreated there and insulted not only by the Babylonians, but also by those Israelites, that did not believe in his divine mission, but ultimately, when his words were proved to be true by facts, honoured and respected by all.</i> but my opinion is, that my servant, mentioned here (52:13), is the same as that of 42:1, 49:3, 53:11, the same who says of himself, I gave my back to the smiters, etc. (50:6). In my commentary on chap. xl., I mentioned briefly the leading principle of my opinion, which considers all these chapters (from xl.) as connected with each other.20<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 40:1, 49:8, 52:13.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <em>O barren, thou that didst not bear</em>. The congregation of Israel is called barren and a woman that did not bear—the latter attribute being the explanation of the former—because of its small number. 
  צהלי ,פצחי. I have already explained these two words.1<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 14:7, 52:9, and 10:30.</i> 
  לא חלה <em>That didst not travail with child</em>. Comp. חיל trembling (Ex. 15:14); repeat עקרה O barren before מבני בעולה .חלה לא <em>Than the children of the married wife</em>, that is, than the children of Babylon,2<i class="footnote">The explanation introduced by the words על דעת רמ״ה ועל דרך אמת, This is the opinion of Rabbi Moses Hakkohen, but I think, refers doubtlessly to the words בני בעולה, the children of the married woman. The opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen is missing in the printed edition of this Commentary.</i> according to the opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen, but I think, that every nation that has a husband (בעל), that is, every nation that has its own king, is meant here by בעולה the married wife.3<i class="footnote">This is again an allusion to the difference of opinion between R. Moses Hakkohen and I. E., regarding the subject of these prophecies (xl.—lxvi.). They both agree in the meaning of the figure; but while the one applies it to Babylon, the other applies it to all countries whither Jews have been dispersed through the Roman exile.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <em>Enlarge the place of thy tent</em>, because of the larger number of thy children. 
  יטו <em>Let them stretch forth</em>. Let the children of the desolate stretch forth, or let people stretch forth;4<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 2:4, and Note 5.</i> comp. ויאמר and one said (Gen. 48:1). 
  אל תחשכי <em>Prevent</em>5<i class="footnote">A. V., Spare not.</i><em> not</em>, the people from stretching forth the curtains of thy tent.
  <em>Thy cords</em>. The cords of thy tent.—The restoration of the towns and villages is meant by this figure.
  
  Verse 3
  
  תפרוצי <em>Thou Shalt spread</em>.6<i class="footnote">A. V., Thou shalt break forth.</i> Comp. ופרצת and thou shalt spread abroad (Gen. 28:14). Some connect it with פרץ to break forth7<i class="footnote">That is, to break forth from within the boundaries of the place in order to occupy a larger space.</i> (2 Sam. 6:8). 
  <em>And thy seed</em>, etc. This is the explanation of the preceding figure. 
  יושיבו <em>They shall make to be inhabited</em>. The third person plural they refers to זרעך thy seed.8<i class="footnote">I. E. makes this observation, as if to say, that in spite of the change in number (יירש sing., יושיבו pl.) the noun זרעך is the subject to both verbs.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  לא תחפירי <em>Thou shalt not be ashamed</em>. Comp. וחפרה and shall be confounded (24:23). <em>Fear not</em>, while being in exile. 
  <em>The shame of thy youth</em>. The exile of the youths is to be understood;9<i class="footnote">This is the translation of the words רמז לגלות עלומיך; but עלומיך is rather suspicious; for first, the third person עלומיה is required; secondly, I. E. would not have used the same word in explaining the phrase. From the context we may infer that גלות מצרים the stay of the Israelites in Egypt is meant.</i> or the phrase refers to the period of the first and second temple,10<i class="footnote">עלומיך, according to this explanation, is thy vigour or the period of thy vigour—that is, the period of the independence of the Israelites, the opposite of אלמנותיך thy widowhood, the period of weakness and bereavement. According to the former explanation, עלומיך thy youth refers, as suggested in the preceding note, to the time when the Israelites had not yet taken possession of their land; </i>
  אלמנותיך, thy widowhood, to a later period, when they had been dispossessed of it. when the Israelites were sometimes visited with great calamities. <em>Thy widowhood</em>. The loss of thy independence.
  
  Verse 5
  
  בּוֹעֲלַיִךְ ,עשַׁׂיִךְ <em>Thine husband, thy Maker</em>. As to the use of the plural,11<i class="footnote">בּוֹעֲלַיִךְ ,עשַֹׁיִךְ instead of בּוֹעֲלֵךְ ,עוֹשֵֹךְ.</i> comp. בְּעשׇׁיו in Him that made him (Ps. 149:2); אלהים God; אדונים Lord; I have explained this in my commentary on Genesis (1:1).12<i class="footnote">I. E. calls this form דרך כבוד (pluralis majestatis), and compares it with the use of the plural in modern languages in addressing one person, and with the plural used by sovereigns when speaking in their edicts of themselves.</i> בועליך Thine husband is here used for מלכך thy King. and עשיך thy Maker for אלהיך thy God.13<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words והנה טעם בועליך כמו מלכך ואלהיך כמו. Lit. The meaning of thy husband is thy king and thy God, as <em>e.g</em>.; in his remark on בעולה (ver. 1), I. E. says that the king is the husband of the country; we separate therefore ואלהיך from מלכך, and consider it as the explanation of ועשיך, which is to be supplied; the emended text would be ועשיך כמו ואלהיך.</i> 
  <em>The God of the whole earth shall He be called</em>. All nations will accept the divine Law. Comp. For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, etc., (Zeph. 3:9)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>As a woman forsaken</em>, etc. The reproach of Israel’s widowhood, the scorn heaped upon the Israelites by other nations, for not having a king of their own, having been mentioned before (ver. 4), the prophet continues in the name of God: Israel has been, it is true, like a woman that is forsaken, and has grieved at the absence of her husband, but her husband is yet alive, etc.; comp. thy Maker is thy husband, etc., (ver. 5)—עצובת grieved is an adjective, not a participle, which it resembles in form—the text continues therefore, the Lord hath called thee.14<i class="footnote">The Lord hath called thee to come unto Him, as the husband calls his wife, after having left her for a short time.</i> ואשת נעורים כי תמאס <em>And like a wife of youth, when she is refused</em>,15<i class="footnote">A. V., When thou wast refused.</i> thou hast been.
  
  Verse 7
  
  ברגע <em>For a moment</em>. The preposition ב is here pleonastic as in בתחלה at the beginning בראשונה at first.16<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has בראשון; but since this word has the meaning in the first month, it is to be emended into בראשנה, at first; comp. I. E. on 1:26.—The ב in ברגע may justly be considered as superfluous, since רגע is here used as a noun, and the accusative without the preposition ב would likewise express the duration of time. This is not the case with בתחלה, which without the preposition is a noun, the beginning; with the preposition it is an adverb meaning at first.</i> Some say that the meaning of רגע is rebuke; comp. רוגע who rebuketh.17<i class="footnote">A. V., That divided.</i> (51:15); their opinion is supported by the parallelism of the verse.18<i class="footnote">By the parallelism רגע is the opposite of רחמים mercy.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  בשצף <em>In a little</em>. It is hap. leg.
  With <em>everlasting kindness</em>, etc. This is the opposite of the idea expressed in, I hid my face for a moment. The kingdom of Israel will remain for ever (comp. Dan. 7:27); and the days of the exile, though many, will be like a moment in comparison with the everlasting days of the future happiness.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <em>The waters of Noah</em>. The flood that was in the days of Noah.
  <em>This</em>, namely, the punishment, which I decreed, and the comfort which I promised.19<i class="footnote">The punishment is compared with the flood, the comfort with the promise which was then given by the Lord, that the flood should never be brought again.</i> 
  <em>And as I have sworn, that the waters of Noah</em>, that is, a flood like that in the days of Noah, <em>should no more go over the earth</em>. Comp. Neither will I again smite any more every thing living as I have done, (Gen. 8:21). 
  <em>That I would not be wroth with thee</em>, etc. This expression is used because Israel has been compared with a forsaken woman.20<i class="footnote">I. E. could better refer to the same word קצף wrath, used before (ver. 8).</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>The mountains shall depart</em>, etc. It is possible that the mountains should depart, but my kindness cannot depart from thee. <em>The covenant of my peace</em>, etc.21<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to have read שלמך thy peace, instead of שלמי my peace.</i> A figure taken from the mutual promise between husband and wife, who live together in peace and happiness. 
  תמוטינה <em>Shall be removed</em>. It is the same form as תשובֶינׇה (Ez. 16:55); the plural feminine of the verb ע״ו has two forms.22<i class="footnote">נׇה with preceding Sheva, and נׇה with preceding Segol (–ֶי); <em>e.g</em>., תׇּשֹׁבְנׇה and תְּשׁוּבֶינׇה</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  סוערה Tempestuous; comp. סוער (Jon. 1:11); or Tossed with tempest. Jerusalem is meant.22a<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words והיא זאת ירושלים; either והיא or זאת is superfluous, or בת is to be read instead of זאת.</i> 
  פוך A precious stone of black colour. Some think that it is the same as נפך, an emerald (Ex. 28:18). 
  <em>Thy stones</em>, which will be required for the building. 
  ספירים <em>Sapphires</em>. Precious stones of red colour, as I have explained23<i class="footnote">Saadiah is of opinion that ספיר signifies a stone of white colour, because of the expression לבנת הספיר, the white colour of the sapphire (Ex. 24:10). I. E., however, explains the latter phrase, the pavement of a sapphire stone, and infers, by means of the rule of parallelism, that ספיר has the same colour as פנינים, of which the verb אדמו they are red is used (Lam. 4:7).</i> (Lam. 4:7)
  
  Verse 12
  
  כדכד <em>Agates</em>. It is hap. leg.; it is the name of a precious stone.
  ושמשתיך <em>And thy windows</em>. It is derived from שמש sun. It signifies the apertures, which are closed with glass24<i class="footnote">שמשה is the name of the aperture through which the sunlight (שמש) passes into the house; in the earlier centuries they were not filled at all, or they were closed with oil paper; in the time of I. E. glass windows seem to have been introduced, but only in houses of a grand style. Here still more is promised. Precious, transparent stones shall be used as windows in all houses, and even over the gates. The Hebrew text has: ישימו זכוכיות והן בחלונות; it is rather difficult to find the meaning of these words; in the inverted order they read very well והן זכוכיות ישימו בחלונות and these are transparent things which are put in the windows.</i> in stately palaces. 
  ושעריך <em>And of thy gates</em>.25<i class="footnote">A. V., And thy gates.</i> And the windows of thy gates.26<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text, והם המשמשות על השער, require some emendation. Firstly, there is no noun to which the masculine pronoun והם and these could refer; secondly, שמשות is derived from שמש sun, and not from the verb שמש to serve or to attend; thirdly, the word which they explain is missing; the original words are perhaps the following: ושעריך ֗ שמשות שעריך והן השמשות על השער. The translation is based on this suggestion.</i> 
  אקדח <em>Carbuncles</em>. A precious stone. The א is prosthetic; comp. קדחה is kindled (Deut. 32:22).
  <em>To stones that are desired</em>, that are not like those stones which are thrown about, and are of no value.
  
  Verse 13
  
  למודי Taught of. It is an adjective,26a<i class="footnote">Comp. c. iii., Note 5.</i> and is used as a synonym of תלמיד pupil. 
  ורב <em>And great shall be</em>. It is a verb; the ו turns the past into the future.
  
  Verse 14
  
  תכנני <em>Shalt thou be established</em>. It is Hithpael. The ת is omitted and compensated by the Dagesh in the כ. <em>In righteousness</em>, etc. Israel will do justice to all, and will oppress no people, as the heathen nations are used to do.27<i class="footnote">המלכים the kings of the Hebrew text is perhaps a corruption of המלכות, a general term, used to signify the governments by which the Israelites were kept in a sort of slavery and degradation.</i> 
  <em>Thou shalt not fear</em>. For the sin of oppression and violence deprives the state of its power.
  
  Verse 15
  
  גור יגור. According to R. Jonah: they will surely gather together; comp. ממגורות barns,28<i class="footnote">Lit., the places where the corn is gathered together.</i> (Joel 1:17). The meaning of the whole verse is accordingly: Is it possible, that any alliance should be made except with my permission ? (The alliance between Gog and Magog is here referred to.) 
  He who is now thy ally, and will then become thy enemy, will fall.29<i class="footnote">This explanation seems to be based on the meaning of the two prepositions אתך and את ;עליך with indicates alliance, friendship; על against, enmity and war.</i> I take גור יגור in its usual meaning and explain the verse thus: Can there dwell any stranger with thee in my land, except it be with my will; he who desires to dwell with thee in my land, עליך יפול <em>must surrender to thee</em>.30<i class="footnote">A. V., Shall fall for thy sake.</i> The verb נפל has here the same meaning as in אל הכשדים אתה נופל thou fallest away to the Chaldӕans (Jer. 37:13); and in על פני כל אחיו נפל he surrendered to all his brethren (Gen. 25:18); namely: to submit to the authority of.31<i class="footnote">In his commentary on Gen. 23:18, I. E. gives three meanings of the verb נפל in the two passages quoted here: 1. His lot or portion fell. 2. He went away. 3. He died. The meaning adopted here to surrender, is not even mentioned there.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  <em>Behold, I have created the smith</em>, etc. It is a figurative expression. 
  ומוציא כלי למעשהו <em>And that bringeth forth a vessel for its work</em>.32<i class="footnote">A. V., An instrument for his work.</i> That bringeth forth a vessel out of the fire, to finish it. <em>And I have also created the waster to destroy</em> the instrument of the smith.
  
  Verse 17
  
  יוצר עליך That is formed against thee. <em>Shall not prosper</em>, to become what it is destined to be; but it will be broken. יוצר <em>Is formed</em>. It is Hophal, similar in form to יוסר is taken away, (Lev. 4:35). 
  <em>And every tongue</em>, etc. This is the explanation of any weapon, etc.33<i class="footnote">This same opinion, that the phrase every tongue, etc., is the explanation of the preceding verse, is indicated by I. E. in his remark on ver. 16, at the beginning, It is a figurative expression.</i> 
  <em>Thou shalt condemn</em>. All nations will accept the religion of Israel, who will prove to them the falsity of the faiths they have hitherto followed. 
  <em>The heritage</em> which they will receive from the Lord, that is, the Law or the Holy Land.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  הוי <em>Ho !</em> It is the sign of the vocative. <em>Ho, every one that thirsteth</em>, etc. With these words the Lord will address those who will then be desirous to accept the Law. 
  <em>And he that hath no money</em> to buy, that is, that has not the means required for study. 
  <em>Buy and eat</em> the wisdom. Comp.1<i class="footnote">As to the verb to eat being used in a figurative sense, signifying to learn, to perceive.</i> Eat this roll, (Ez. 3:1). Wisdom is demanded by the soul as the food is demanded by the body. 
  <em>Come ye</em> unto me, 
  <em>Buy</em> for nothing, <em>And eat</em> without paying. <em>Wine and milk</em>. Each serves both for food and drink, as medical authorities assert.2<i class="footnote">The function of the drink is to dissolve the food and to accelerate its digestion; most beverages, according to I. E., are believed to contain no elements of nourishment, but in wine and milk both properties are found, they nourish and accelerate the digestion.</i> Wine and milk are mentioned because the Law is compared with them.3<i class="footnote">Comp. Midrash Yalkut ad locum, and I. E. on Solomon’s Song 2:4.—No other passage of the Bible, however, can be adduced, in which the Law is compared with wine and milk.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  <em>Wherefore do you spend money</em>, etc. Wherefore will you labour in profane science4<i class="footnote">By the term חכמות נכריות profane science, as contrasted with the knowledge of the Law, I. E. means hardly anything but speculative philosophy, metaphysics; because all practical sciences, especially the science of nature, is repeatedly recommended by I. E.; comp. his commentary on Exod. 20:1.</i> which is of no use to you. 
  בדשן <em>In fatness</em>. Comp. דשן (30:23). <em>Let your soul delight itself in fatness</em>, that is, in that happiness which the soul enjoys after its separation from the body by death.5<i class="footnote">A second explanation is indicated by I. E. in the additional words או טעמו or its meaning is; the explanation itself is missing in the Hebrew text, or it is the same which is mentioned below (ver. 3.), and is likewise introduced by the words או טעם; the two words have therefore been omitted in the translation.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  ולכו אלי <em>And come unto me</em>. Lit., Go away from your place toward me; comp. סורה אלי turn in to me (Jud. 4:18).6<i class="footnote">הלך to go signifies removal from the place of him that speaks, בוא to come, approach to it. The preposition אלי demands the verb ובואו, while the verb ולכו demands ממני; I. E. therefore explains the words ולכו אלי as an elliptical phrase, meaning, and go from your place and come unto me. Comp. I. E. on 31:1, Note 2.</i> 
  <em>And your soul shall live</em>. That is, your soul shall live for ever after the death of the body, or you will receive new life through Messiah, when you will return to the Divine Law. 
  <em>An everlasting covenant</em>, that will never expire. <em>The sure mercy of David</em>, that is, like the covenant which I made with David and the kindness which I showed to him, promising him my mercy will I keep for him for evermore, etc. (Ps. 89:29). It is also possible, that by David in this verse Messiah is meant, who will be of the family of David; as the prophet is sometimes called Israel for the same reason;7<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 49:3.</i> and the meaning of הנאמנים חסדי דוד is in that case: for the kindness of Messiah is sure.8<i class="footnote">That is, is everlasting, and therefore the covenant which will be made with you through him, will likewise be ברית עולם an everlasting covenant. According to the first explanation the everlasting covenant promised here, is compared with the everlasting covenant which God made with King David.</i> This explanation is supported by the next verse.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>Behold, I have given him</em>, namely, Messiah. 
  לאמים The people, the ל being radical; or to the people, the ל being a preposition.9<i class="footnote">There are in Hebrew two words which signify nation, namely: אֹם and לאֹם; pl. אֻמִּים (Ps. 117:1) and לאֻמִּים (49:1).</i> <em>For a witness</em>. Messiah will testify, that there is no other king, no other ruler of the world, than God. 
  ומצוה And one that issues commands.10<i class="footnote">This remark appears to be quite superfluous, since מְצַוֵּה can hardly mean anything else; it is perhaps intended to indicate that it is not an irregular participle instead of מְצַוֶּה, but the construct state of the noun מְצַוֶּה commander. See Kimchi ad locum.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  <em>A nation, that thou knowest not</em>, which thou hast not known hitherto, <em>thou shalt call</em> to come unto thee; comp. I called my servant, etc. (Job 19:16). 
  <em>And nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee</em>. This proves my explanation11<i class="footnote">This refers to the opinion of I. E. that the prophecies contained in this part of the book, describe the time of Messiah yet to come; the verse before us supports that opinion, since the promise contained in it, has not yet been fulfilled.</i> to be correct. 
  פארך <em>He hath glorified thee</em>. It is irregular;12<i class="footnote">The regular form of the two verbs is: עׇנְךָ ,פְּאֵרְךָ.</i> there is no other instance of a perfect verb having this form; but there is one of the weak verb: עׇנׇךְ He hath answered thee (30:19)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>Seek ye the Lord</em>. This appeal is made to the contemporaries of the prophet,13<i class="footnote">That were, together with the prophet, captives in Babylon. See I. E. on 40:1.</i> telling them to seek the Lord, since they knew that they would be redeemed from Babylon, and after that again from all other nations. 
  <em>While He may be found</em> by those that seek Him. God is certainly everywhere at all times; but the meaning of this phrase is, while the decree is not yet resolved upon: in a similar way the phrase, while He is near is to be explained, namely, while He permits His glory to rest upon the temple.14<i class="footnote">The words רמז לשכינה שהיא במקדש seem to be a new explanation, which is quite different from the preceding one while the decree is not yet resolved upon. In the commentary Michlal Jofi the latter is assigned to the Talmud, the former to Don Isaak Abravanel. We conjecture therefore that the word או or before רמז has been dropped; and have restored it in the translation.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>Let the wicked forsake</em>, etc. This is the explanation of Seek ye the Lord, etc.
  <em>His way</em>. The way which he is accustomed to go. ואיש און מחשבתיו <em>And the unrighteous man his thoughts</em>. Supply יעזב let him forsake. The principal points, the thought and the deed are mentioned by the prophet.15<i class="footnote">According to I. E. דרך signifies the way of action, the practice, contrasted with מחשבה thought, plan.</i> 
  <em>He will abundantly pardon</em> the iniquities.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <em>For my thoughts are not yours</em>. You thought that I should punish you even after your return to me; but your thoughts are not mine; my intention is to do good to you. <em>Neither are your ways my ways</em>. My ways are righteous; comp., Are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal ? (Ez. 18:19)
  
  Verse 9
  
  <em>For as the heavens</em>, etc., <em>so are my ways higher</em>, etc. This is a figurative expression.16<i class="footnote">In the Hebrew text there is no proper distinction between this verse and the succeeding. משל should be separated from the succeeding words by a full stop. The conjunction כי, which follows, is not part of the commentary but of ver. 10, the text which is to be explained.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>For as the rain cometh down</em>, etc. The rain watereth the earth, in coming down from heaven; for that purpose God sends it down, in order that seed may be given to the sower and bread to the eater.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <em>So shall my word</em>, etc. I shall fulfil all I spake to the prophets.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <em>For you shall go out with joy</em>. You will go out from the exile joyfully.
  <em>And be led forth with peace</em> to your land on horses and mules. If this passage be referred to the Babylonian exile, it was indeed literally fulfilled.17<i class="footnote">Comp. Ezr. 1:3, sqq.</i> But if it is understood to allude to a future redemption, in that case comp. And they shall bring all your brethren upon horses, etc. (66:20). Some refer it to both.18<i class="footnote">To the Babylonian exile and the Roman exile.</i> 
  ימחאו <em>Shall clap</em>. This verb is frequently met with in the Chaldee.19<i class="footnote">Comp. Dan. 2:35, 5:19.</i> ומחה and shall reach (Num. 34:11) is of the same root.20<i class="footnote">The two verbs compared by I. E. are not the same, the one is ל״ה, the other ל״א; but א and ה interchange. The word מגזרת before ומחה seems to be a corruption of ומגזרתו; since ימחאו is not derived from מחה, but the latter is, in the one passage quoted here, exceptionally used in the sense of מחא, to join, to clap, or to strike.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  הנעצוץ <em>The thorn</em>. Comp. הנעצוצים the thorns (7:19). The fir is undoubtedly better than the thorn.
  סרפד <em>The brier</em>. A kind of thorn. <em>And it shall be to the Lord for a name</em>, etc. He will perform wonders, in providing the wilderness with rivers, when Israel will return to Zion, and this will be to the Lord <em>An everlasting sign</em>, a miracle that will remain for ever.21<i class="footnote">I. E. means either that the rivers and fountains produced in the wilderness by a miracle will remain for ever, and thus continually testify the glory of God, or that the miracle will be of such an extraordinary character, that it will for ever remain in the memory of mankind.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <em>Keep ye judgment</em>, etc. You know that God will redeem you, and that He will bless you with all these benefits; keep, therefore, His judgments, for, if you do this, salvation is near to come. We may learn from this verse that the coming of Messiah is delayed because of our sins.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <em>Blessed is the man that does this</em>, that keeps the following precepts, to observe the Sabbath, etc. מחללו <em>From polluting it</em>. It is certain that the ת in שבת indicates the feminine gender;1<i class="footnote">It is generally believed that the ת in שבת is radical and that it is formed from שבת, like גַּנׇּב thief from גׇּנַב to steal. I. E. either derives the word from שוב to return, to rest, or believes that one ת has been dropped.</i> the masculine pronoun וֹ refers to the masculine noun יום day, which may be supplied before שבת, or to the verbal noun שִׁמּוּר implied in the verb שֹׁמֵר; for every verb implies a verbal noun, if that is not directly expressed;2<i class="footnote">I. E. repeatedly mentions the rule that every form of the verb contains the verbal noun, which may be supplied, whenever required, either in the form of a masculine noun, or of a feminine one, according to circumstances. The suffix singular וֹ in ותצפנו (Jos. 2:4.) does not agree with the plural שני האנשים the two men; it is therefore explained to refer to the noun לקח the taking contained in the verb ותקח and she took, and the sense of the passage is accordingly: She took the two men and hid that fact. The subject to תקום (Prov. 15:22) is עצה counsel, which is contained in the participle יועצים they that give counsel. The masculine suffix וֹ in מחללו is in the same way explained to refer to the masculine noun שמור the keeping, contained in the participle שמר who keepeth.</i> compare the remark of R. Moses Hakkohen on וַתִּצְפְּנוֹ (Jos. 2:7), that the suffix refers to the verbal noun the taking;3<i class="footnote">A. V., And hid them.</i> compare also ברב יעצים עצה תקום ═ ברב יעצים תקום, in the multitude of counsellors it is established4<i class="footnote">A. V., But in multitude of counsellors they (the purposes מחשבות) are established.</i> (Prov. 15:22), the word עצה being supplied.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <em>The son of the stranger</em>. The true proselytes.
  הַנִּלְוׇה <em>That hath joined himself</em>. It is the past tense with a prefixed ה, which is here equivalent to the relative אשר that; comp. ההלכוא who went (Jos. 10:24)5<i class="footnote">The past of the Niphal of לוה is נִלְוׇה, the participle נִלְוֶה m., נִלְוׇה f. Because of the preceding בן הנכר the masculine is here required, and נִלְוׇה is consequently the past, third person masculine; the ה, which before nouns and participles has a demonstrative character, has before the past or future of a verb the power of a relative pronoun. This latter case is, however, very rare.</i>. 
  יבדילֵנִי═יבדילַני The Lord will separate me. Comp. יאהבַני (my husband) will love me (Gen. 29:32).6<i class="footnote">The vowel, which connects the suffix with the verb, is Kamez or Pathah for the forms of the past tense, Zere or Segol for the other forms. This rule, however, is not without exceptions, of which יַבְדִילַנִי instead of יַבְדִּילֵנִי is one.</i> 
  <em>I am a dry tree</em>, because I cannot have children.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>That keep my sabbath</em>, etc. The sabbath is mentioned, because it is a sign of the covenant between Him and those that keep it, on account of God having rested on it;7<i class="footnote">The words on account of God having rested on that day are part of the condition of the covenant; the Sabbath is to be kept, because God declared it holy when He created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh.</i> he who keeps the Sabbath is, therefore, a worshipper of the Lord.
  
  Verse 5
  
  יד <em>A place</em>. Comp. Deut. 23:13
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>Also the sons of the stranger</em>, etc. The eunuchs are mentioned before the sons of the strangers, because they are the last named (ver. 3). Comp. And I gave to Isaac, Jacob, and Esau, and I gave to Esau, etc. (Jos. 24:4). 
  <em>To serve him</em>. The service of the Lord consists in keeping His commandments.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>For mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people</em>. Compare the prayer of King Solomon (1 Kings 8:41)
  
  Verse 8
  
  <em>The outcasts of Israel</em>, that came from Babylon, Elam, and Assyria.8<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text are: כי אם עלו מבבל ומעילם ומאשור. It is impossible to make sense of these words; אם is probably the cause of the confusion, and if we replace it by הם, they, we get a tolerable sense; this emendation has been adopted for the translation. But the whole remark of I. E. seems to be superfluous, for the meaning of the outcasts of Israel is well known. Another emendation suggests itself to the reader, namely, to alter אם into עמהם with them; and to translate the phrase thus: For people of Babylon, Elam, Assyria went up with them (the Israelites). The remark would in that case not explain the expression outcasts of Israel, but the word לנקבציו; its proper place would then be at the end of the verse.</i> 
  <em>Beside those that are gathered unto him</em>, that is, besides the proselytes. The meaning of the whole phrase is, <em>Yet</em> will I gather others to him, besides those that have already joined Israel. The suffix in 8a<i class="footnote">ולנקבציו of the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of ו״״ו לנקבציו.</i>לנקבציו, that are gathered unto him, refers to Israel.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <em>All ye beasts of the field</em>, etc. The idea connecting the following with the preceding verses is, that the righteous Israelites and the proselytes will return, but those that persevere in the worship of idols will not return. אתיו <em>Come</em>. It is imperative (comp. 21:12) of אתה to come; comp. ואתה, and He came (Deut. 33:2). God summons the idolatrous wicked nations, to come and devour the wicked of Israel, like wild beasts that devour each other.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>His watchmen are blind</em>, etc. The false prophets in Israel are meant, who were like blind watchmen during the day, and like dumb dogs during the night, that cannot guard the house and are of no use whatever.
  לנבח <em>To bark</em>. The word has in Arabic the same meaning.
  הזים <em>Dogs</em>.9<i class="footnote">A. V., Sleeping.</i> It is hap. leg.; the ה is radical as in הורו והנו conceiving and uttering (59:13).10<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has הורים והוגים; but since those words do not occur in the Bible, the words הרו והגו have been substituted for them. I. E. read perhaps הרים והגים instead of הרו והגו.</i> The participle Hiphil has always מ at the beginning.—R. Jonah says that the Targum renders הזים by ניימין slumbering, because dogs are more addicted to slumber than all other animals.11<i class="footnote">Dogs are employed as the guardians of the house, because their sleep is not very deep, but rather like slumbering which is interrupted by the least noise; they are, therefore, according to R. Jonah, called the slumberers.</i> <em>Loving the slumber</em>. Repetition of the same idea.
  
  Verse 11
  
  עזי נפש <em>Greedy</em>. The word נפש is mostly used in Scripture to express the appetitive soul;12<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 26:9, Note 9, and Eccles. 7:3. Three kinds of נפש, soul, are mentioned there; one of them, which is mostly understood by נפש, is נפש הצומחת or נפש המתאוה, the vegetative or appetitive soul.</i> comp. ונפשו מאכל תאוה and his soul (abhorreth) dainty meat (Job 33:20). All these dogs are useless; they do only harm, because of their strong, insatiable appetite, called עזות נפש greediness;12a<i class="footnote">Lit., Strength of appetite.</i> they can never have enough. The words which follow contain the explanation of the figure used here. 
  <em>And they</em>, the dogs mentioned here, <em>Are the shepherds</em> of Israel, that cannot understand. הבין <em>Understand</em>. It is infinitive. 
  לבצעו <em>For his gain</em>, for that which brings him profit; comp. מה בצע what profit is there (Ps. 30:10). 
  מקצהו <em>From his quarter</em>. Every one from his quarter.13<i class="footnote">This remark, which is usually made by I. E. to explain the use of the singular instead of the plural, is here superfluous; since the singular איש, and also לבצעו are preceding. The similar phrase, כל העם מקצה (Gen. 19:4) was perhaps intended as an explanation of מקצהו, everyone, from whatever quarter he might come.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <em>Come ye</em>, etc. The money which they acquire unjustly, they spend in feasting, and one shepherd says to his fellow- shepherd, Come, let us buy wine. 
  ונסבאה שכר <em>And let us fill ourselves with strong drink</em>. Let us make ourselves drunk.14<i class="footnote">משכר in the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of נשתכר; and the quotation from the Book of Proverbs is to prove that the verb סבא means to drink too much. Comp. I. E. on Deut. 21:20.—To explain שכר by משכר of strong drink would be wrong, since סבא does not govern the preposition מן of; and would not be supported by the phrase quoted.</i> Comp. סבאי יין wine-bibbers (Prov. 23:20). <em>And to-morrow shall be as this day</em>. They do this not one day alone but day after day. 
  יתר <em>More abundant</em>. It is an adjective. The morrow shall excel to-day in pleasure and feasting.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <em>The righteous perisheth</em>, etc. There is nothing but the deeds of these evil shepherds; the righteous are gone, <em>And no man layeth it to heart</em> to consider, why do the righteous perish, and those wicked people remain alive; but the prophet gives the answer to this question: <em>The righteous is taken away from the evil to come</em>, that he should not see the evil that is coming over Israel and the holy city.
  
  Verse 2
  
  יבא שלום <em>He shall enter into peace</em>, etc. The righteous shall come in peace to his grave; comp. Thou shalt die in peace (Jer. 34:5); And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace (Gen. 15:15). 
  ינוחו על משכבותם הלך נכחו <em>They that walk before Him, shall rest in their beds</em>.1<i class="footnote">A. V., They shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.</i> Comp. אחרי יי אלהיכם תלכו ye shall walk after the Lord your God (Deut. 13:5). Some explain the verse thus: Peace and tranquillity shall come to them, and they that walk, etc.2<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation בשלום ═ שלום in peace, and the subject הצדיק the righteous must be supplied, which is the subject to יבא as well as to ינוחו; to the latter in a collective sense. According to the second explanation שלום is the subject to יבוא, and שלום together with השקט tranquillity (which must be supplied), the subject to the plural form ינוחו, they shall rest. But whence we have to get the supplementary השקט is not explained.</i> 
  נִכְחוֹ ═ נְכֹחוֹ <em>Before Him</em>. The form of nouns varies.3<i class="footnote">I. E. supposes here the form נֹכַח ═ נֶכַח, although it is not found in Scripture. Comp. I. E. on 9:3, Note 4.</i>
  
  Verse 3
  
  <em>Draw near</em>, Ye my people, house of Israel, for judgment. The Lord addresses Israel. 
  בני עוננה <em>Ye sons of the sorceress</em>. Comp. ועננים and sorcerers (2:6).
  זרע מנאף <em>The seed of the adulterer</em>, that is, of the adulterous father. 
  ותזנה <em>And the whore</em>, the adulterous mother.3a<i class="footnote">ותזנה is either an elliptical phrase and of her that is a whore or a noun (זונה ═ תזנה) with the prefix וְהַ ═ וַ and the.</i> The sense of the whole is: Men and women, both are bad.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>Against whom do you sport yourselves</em>, to ask what good he has done unto us.
  
  Verse 5
  
  הנחמים באלים The best of the various explanations of this phrase is that it refers to idolatry;4<i class="footnote">The noun אלים signifies here trees under which idols were worshipped. See Rashi and Targum ad locum.</i> הנחמים Who are conceived, similar in form to הנצבים that stood (Gen. 45:1), is the Niphal of יחם to conceive; comp. בכלּ יַחֵם whensoever (the stronger cattle) did conceive (Gen. 30:41). This expression is the description of children of transgression (ver. 4); comp., And in sin did my mother conceive me (Ps. 51:7). 
  שחטי הילדים <em>Slaying the children</em> in honour of the idols; comp. ואשחט and I pressed5<i class="footnote">I. E. read שֹחֲטֵי instead of שֹׁחֲטֵי.</i> (Gen. 40:11). They act like a harlot that kills her children.
  בחלקי <em>Among the smooth stones</em>. Comp. חלוקי אבנים smooth stones (1 Sam. 17:40). <em>Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion</em>. They seek for smooth stones to shape them into idols.
  
  Verse 6
  
  אנחם <em>Shall I regret</em>,6<i class="footnote">A. V., Should I receive comfort in these?</i> the evil with which I intend to afflict thee. Some consider אנחם to be Hithpael and explain it: Could I receive comfort? But it is not necessary to depart from the usual meaning of אֶנׇּחֵם.7<i class="footnote">Shall I alter my mind? Shall I regret? Comp. I. E. on Gen. 6:6.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>Upon a lofty and high mountain</em>, etc. Like a harlot that commits adultery in an open place, that is, publicly.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <em>Behind the doors also</em>, etc., that is, also privately. 
  זכרונך <em>Thy scent</em>.8<i class="footnote">A. V., Thy remembrance.</i> Comp. וזכרו the scent thereof (Hos. 14:8); אזכרתה a sweet savour (Lev. 2:2). 
  <em>Thou hast discovered thyself</em>, etc., that is, thou hast behaved like a harlot. גלית מאתי <em>Thou hast discovered thyself of me</em>,9<i class="footnote">A. V., Thou hast discovered thyself to another than me.</i> who covered thee.9a<i class="footnote">That is, God told them not to go after vain things, but they abandoned His advice and worshipped idols.</i> 
  <em>Thou art gone up</em>, to commit whoredom publicly.
  <em>Thou hast enlarged thy bed</em>, to fit it for more than one. 
  ותכרת is here used instead of ותכרתי as ותוכל instead of ותוכלי thou couldest (Jer. 3:5). ותכרת לך מהם <em>And made thee a covenant with them</em>. Thou hast chosen for thy friends those, 
  אהבת משכבם <em>whose bed thou lovedst</em>,10<i class="footnote">A. V., Thou lovedst their bed.</i> whom thou desiredst to lie with thee.
  יד חזית <em>In every place which thou sawest</em>.11<i class="footnote">A. V., Where thou sawest it.</i> It has the same meaning as בכל מקום אשר תראה in every place, which thou seest (Deut. 12:13)
  
  Verse 9
  
  ותשרי וגו׳ <em>And thou gavest</em>,12<i class="footnote">A. V., And thou wentest.</i> etc. There is yet another evil, says the Lord, to Israel; thou hast not only worshipped idols, thou hast also sent presents to the kings of Assyria or Egypt, and hast relied on them.13<i class="footnote">Comp. c. xxx. and xxxi.; Hos. 14:4; 2 Kings 16:8, 17:4.</i> As to the meaning of ותשרי and thou gavest a present, comp. ותשורה and a present (1 Sam. 9:7); R. Moses Hannagid14<i class="footnote">R. Moses Hannagid is probably identical with R. Moses Hakkohen. Hannagid means the prince, and is a title given to men of distinction.</i> derives תשורה from שור to see, and explains it to signify the fees for the vision and prophecy; according to this explanation ותשרי may be compared with אשורנו I shall see him (Num. 24:17), and explained thou didst go to see him.
  <em>With oil</em>. Oil was exported from Palestine.
  ציריך Thy messengers.
  זתשפילי <em>And didst debase</em> thyself.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <em>In the greatness of thy ways</em>, which thou didst frequent, and in which thou hast wearied thyself, without saying: נואש <em>there is no hope</em>, my heart is despairing;15<i class="footnote">I. E. supplies the masculine noun לבי, my heart, as the subject to נואש.</i> (comp. שאול ונואש ממני and Saul shall despair of me (1 Sam. 27:2)); thou thoughtest that thy exertion might still be of some use. 
  חית <em>The life</em>, that is, the strength. <em>Thou hast found the life of thine hand</em>, when thou hadst wearied thyself; therefore thou wast not grieved.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <em>And of whom hast thou been afraid</em>, etc. What hadst thou to fear from an enemy and to be afraid of him for, so as to lie, and not to think of me. 
  מחשה is a causative verb, and means silencing. אני מחשה ומעולם <em>I silence, even of old</em>,16<i class="footnote">A. V., Have not I held my peace even of old.</i> those that lie; this I am doing now, and have always done. It is, however, possible to explain the words ואת מי דאגת ונו׳ when hast thou feared me, etc.;17<i class="footnote">One can hardly see how the meaning when can be found in the words מתי ;ואת מי is perhaps a corruption of את מי, and the meaning of I. E.’s remark would in that case be, for whom hast thou been afraid of me ?</i> but I prefer the first explanation. Some compare אני מחשה with החשתי I have holden my peace (42:14), and explain it I held my peace, I forbore; it is in that case an anthropomorphism.
  
  Verse 12
  
  צדקתך <em>Thy righteousness</em> in words.
  <em>And thy works they shall not profit thee</em>, because they are bad; thou hast trusted to others beside me.
  
  Verse 13
  
  קבוציך <em>Thy companies</em>, which thou hast brought together for thy assistance. קבוציך lit., those gathered by thee, is an adjective, in form like למודי taught of (54:13).18<i class="footnote">That is, the pupils of. Comp. c. iii. Note 5.</i> 
  <em>But the wind shall carry them all away</em>, etc. This is a figurative expression for they will perish and not see the salvation which is coming from the Lord. 
  <em>And he that putteth his trust</em>, etc. We see here how this chapter is connected with the preceding; comp. whosoever keepeth the Sabbath etc. (56:6).19<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to consider the keeping of the Sabbath as a sign of our trust in the Lord, since he finds in the words and he that putteth a trust in me a reference to the words that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  ואמר <em>And it will be said</em>. Lit., and shall say the subject, האומר he who will say, הקורא he who will call, or הכרוז the proclamation is to be supplied.20<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 2:4, Note 5.</i> 
  סלו Remove the stones from the path. The repetition of סלו indicates, that this proclamation is to be made repeatedly. 
  <em>My people</em>, that is, those that worship the Lord; comp., there is no peace to the wicked (ver. 21).21<i class="footnote">The expression עמי my people must, therefore, be limited to the good of the people of God; only for them are all these happy events predicted.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  רם ונשא <em>The high and lofty</em>. He whose name is high and lofty.22<i class="footnote">Instead of attributing the properties high and lofty directly to God, I. E. connects them with the name of God, in order to attenuate the anthropomorphism.</i> 
  עולמי עד═עד Innumerable worlds; עד signifies that which cannot be counted; eternity.23<i class="footnote">I. E. repeatedly gives this paraphrase of עד, but does not explain how it is drawn from the word עד. It would be equally strange to suppose that עד is the beginning of a sentence which is to be supplied, namely, עד שלא יוכלו לספור; a similar ellipsis is suggested by I. E., for the phrase עולם ועד עולם═עולם ועד Comp. I. E. on Ex. 15:18; Ps. 9:6.</i> <em>That resteth for ever</em>. This is a distinctive attribute of God, since all creatures move, the stars also change their places, and even the soul.24<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words גם לכוכבים יש תנועה כנשמה also the stars move like the soul; but it can hardly be found what I. E. meant by these words. We have, perhaps, to read גם לנשמה instead of כנשמה, as has been emended for the translation, or בשמים in the heavens. In the latter case, the meaning of the phrase would be, that even the stars, which are, according to the opinion of I. E., more stationary and durable than the earth and the creatures below, move about in their exalted places.</i> 
  <em>I dwell in the high and holy place</em>, with the angels above. ואת דכא ושפל רוח <em>And with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit</em> on earth, I dwell, to revive the spirit, etc.; or, I dwell in the high and holy place above with the angels in order to give life to those humble people on earth.25<i class="footnote">According to the first explanation we have to repeat the verb אשכון after ואת דכא ושפל רוח; according to the second the verb להחיות must be supplied.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  <em>I will not contend</em> with Israel.
  <em>Neither will I be always wroth;</em> for I have created the spirits, and the spirit that comes from me should be humble.26<i class="footnote">This is the reason why God will not be always wroth; He expects that the souls, His own work, shall approach Him with humility and prayer, and He will no more be wroth.</i> 
  <em>The souls which I made</em>. Repetition of the same idea.
  יעטף <em>Should be humble</em>.27<i class="footnote">A. V., For the spirit should fail before me. When he is over-whelmed.</i> Comp. כי יעטף לעני of the afflicted, when he is humble (Ps. 102:1)
  
  Verse 17
  
  ואכהו <em>And smote him</em>, namely, my people (ver. 14), or him that is of a contrite and humble spirit (ver. 15). It is the imperfect, for which the Hebrew language has no special form.28<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 1:21, and Note 43.</i> 
  <em>I hid me</em>. I hid my face when I smote him with my hand. It is a figurative expression for I smote him without pity. הסתר lit., to hide is infinitive.
  וילך שובב <em>He went on returning</em>,29<i class="footnote">A. V., He went on frowardly.</i> with frowardness and obstinacy, <em>in the way of his heart</em>, that is, in his evil ways. שובב is used in a bad sense.29a<i class="footnote">שובב is derived from שוב to return, to repeat, and means repeating perseveringly, but is always used in the Bible in a bad sense, while the verb שוב is chiefly used in a good sense: to cause to return to God or to the good way.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  <em>I have seen his ways</em>, etc. This verse proves that my opinion concerning this book is right.30<i class="footnote">The punishment of the Israelites, which consisted, according to I. E., in the Babylonian exile and their slow improvement, are described here in the past tense: Was I wroth, he went on frowardly in the way of his heart, I have seen his ways, but the promised deliverance in the future tense: and will heal them, etc.; I. E. infers from this that at the time when the prophet uttered this prophecy, the Babylonian exile was already expiring, and that the prophet consequently did not live in the time of King Hezekiah, but was a contemporary of the Persian King Cyrus, and of Zerubbabel.</i> <em>His ways</em>, that is, his repentance, or his innate evil inclination; comp. for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21).31<i class="footnote">According to both explanations the expression דרכיו his ways is different from the preceding ררך לבו the way of his heart, which refers to his evil doings. By his ways the prophet means, according to I. E., either his proper ways, the ways which he should go, that is, the way of repentance, or his natural character, his natural weakness in resisting temptation.</i> 
  <em>And I will heal him</em>, <em>and I will lead him also</em>. He is like an invalid, that has no strength to go by himself. 
  <em>And I will restore comforts unto him</em> for the calamity that had befallen him.
  <em>And to his mourners</em>, that is, to his friends; people usually begin to mourn when they see their sick friend dying.32<i class="footnote">That is, before he is actually dead. Israel was in exile, and was considered by his friends as already entirely lost, without hope of recovery. I. E. explains by this comparison the expression ולאבליו and to his mourners, which is only used in case of death.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  בורא <em>The Creator</em>. It is generally explained to refer to God, and the verb אמר said is supplied. Were it allowed to depart from the common explanation, I should suggest to take בורא in the sense of decreeing; comp. ובורא חשך (45:7).33<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 45:7, 40:28, Note 61, and on Gen. 1:1.</i> 
  ניב <em>Fruit</em> Comp. תנובות fruits (Deut. 32:13). By fruit of the lips the speech is meant. The meaning of the whole verse is: Proclaim, Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near; announce, that the Lord has already saved Israel, because ורפאתיו I have indeed healed him.34<i class="footnote">ורפאתיו admits of two explanations; it can be past with ו conjunctive, and I have healed him, or past with ו conversive, I will heal him. I. E. seems to be in favour of the first explanation.</i>
  
  Verse 20
  
  <em>But the wicked are</em>, etc. God heals the righteous of Israel, but not the wicked, because the latter are troubled, like the sea that is continually troubled. נגרש <em>Troubled</em>. It has the same meaning as ויגרשו and they moved, and is probably of the same root as גורש driving out (Ex. 34:11); 
  it is explained by the words which follow: when it cannot rest. Before נגרש the relative (אשר═) שהוא is to be supplied;35<i class="footnote">Or the definite article בַּיָם הַנִּגְרָשׁ</i> for נגרש is an adjective.35a<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 13:15, and Note 18.</i> 
  ויגרשו And they moved.36<i class="footnote">A. V., Whose waters cast up.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  <em>There is no peace</em>, etc. No peace shall be to them, because they cannot rest.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <em>Cry aloud</em>. The prophet is addressed by God. אל תחשך <em>Spare not</em> the crying; the objective case must be supplied, because חשך is a transitive verb. 
  <em>Like a trumpet</em>, etc. That all may hear.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <em>Yet they seek me daily</em> with their words and thoughts.
  <em>They wish to know my ways</em>. They express their wish in words, namely, <em>They ask of me</em> for themselves the ordinance of justice, and are desirous to be near me.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <em>Wherefore have we fasted</em>, etc. They fast, and then they say, Wherefore have we fasted. <em>And thou seest not</em>, etc. It is as if thou didst not see, nor take any knowledge of it; for thou dost not help us. The reply to these questions is: <em>Behold in the day of your fast</em>, etc. On the very day of the fast every one that has a dispute with his neighbour proceeds with his lawsuit.1<i class="footnote">חפץ means desire, the object of the desire, business. מצא חפץ to find the object of his desire, to seek to find the object of his desire, to go after his business. This latter, general meaning of the expression is given also by Rashi and Targum Jonathan; I. E. explains it to seek the object of his desire, viz., of his neighbour, that is to seek to obtain what he demands from his neighbour, to proceed with his quarrel, and considers the beginning of the next verse הן לריב ומצה תצומו behold, ye fast for strife and debate, as the explanation of the words הן ביום צמכם תמצאו תפץ.</i> 
  עצביכם <em>Your debtors</em>.2<i class="footnote">A. V., Your labours. And thy labours. Sorrow.</i> עצבים means money. Comp. ועצביך and thy wealth (Prov. 5:10); it is probably connected with עצבון labour2a (Gen. 3:17); comp. יגיע בפיך the labour of thine hands (Ps. 128:2); יגיע מצרים the labour of Egypt (45:14). 
  תנגשו <em>You press</em>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., You exact.</i> It is written in full with נ, like כהנדוף as is driven, תנדף drive (Ps. ixviii. 3).3a<i class="footnote">The verbs פ״נ usually assimilate the נ to the next consonant and replace it by Dagesh whenever it concludes a syllable, <em>e.g</em>., תִּנְדֹּף═תִּדֹּף ,תִּנְגשֹׁוּ═תִּנּשֹׁוּ; in some cases the radical נ has been left; as <em>e.g</em>., in the examples given here by I. E.</i> וכל בעל עצביכם תנגשו═וכל עצביכם תננשו And you press all your debtors. Comp. אשה בעלת יראת יי═אשה יראת יי a woman that feareth the Lord4<i class="footnote">Lit., A woman of the fear of the Lord; but אשה being in the absolute state, I. E. supplies a word in the construct state. Comp. I. E. on 30:20 42:25.</i> (Prov. 31:30); there are many other instances of this kind of ellipsis.
  
  Verse 4
  
  אגרף Some hard thing to strike with.5<i class="footnote">A. V., First.</i> In this sense it is used in Rabbinical literature. Comp. בעלי אגרפין men with force (Pesachim 53); compare besides באגרף (Ex. 21:18).6<i class="footnote">In his commentary on Ex. 21:18, I. E. mentions this comparison in the name of Saadiah, while the other explanation, introduced here by the words, Others render it, is given, in his abridged commentary on Ex. 21:18, as his own, introduced by the word ויתכן, It is also right to say.</i> Others7<i class="footnote">Very probably R. Jonah is meant, whose explanation is quoted in the commentary of I. E. on Ex. 21:18; he derived the word from the root גרף to sweep.</i> render it a piece of hard earth, and connect it with מגרפותיהם their clods (Joel 1:17). 
  כיום הזה═כיום As ye do this day.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <em>A day for a man to afflict his soul</em>. Repetition of the same idea (a fast) in other words.
  לכוף <em>To bow down</em>. It is a verb ע״ע similar in form to לקב to curse (Num. 23:11).
  אנמן <em>Bulrush</em>. A tender plant, that bends its top; it is well known. 
  יַצִּיעַ <em>To spread</em>. The Dagesh in צ compensates for the omission of the radical ;8<i class="footnote">יצע is one of those verbs פ״י, that compensate for the omission of the י by the reduplication of the second radical.</i>י comp. אצרך I form thee (Jer. 1:5); the full form is יַיְצִיעַ, and its meaning is to place as a couch; comp. יצע was spread (Est. 4:3)
  
  Verse 6
  
  פתח <em>To loose</em>.
  חרצבות <em>The bands</em>. Comp. Ps. 73:4.
  מוטה <em>Yoke</em>. Comp. מוטות עלכם the bands of your yoke (Lev. 26:13). <em>To loose the bands</em>, etc. To make the slaves free. Comp. Jer. 1:34. 
  רצוצים9<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has before רצוצים the words העשוקים משפט, which are in no connection with the preceding remark; they are either the explanation of רצוצים, and should be placed after that word, or they are the result of the carelessness of some copyist, who had erroneously repeated them here from the succeeding remark, and forgot afterwards to strike them out; the latter suggestion is probable, since the explanation of רצוצים is complete without these two words.</i> <em>The oppressed</em>. The slaves that are oppressed; comp. רצוץ oppressed (Hos. 5:11); רצתי have I oppressed (l Sam. 12:3). Some understand to loose the bands, etc., to refer to the thoughts of man; but I prefer the first explanation.
  
  Verse 7
  
  פרוס <em>Break</em>. Comp. פרש אין להם no man breaketh it unto them (Lam. 4:4); פריסת is divided (Dan. 5:28). It means here to break a loaf of bread, in order to give a part of it to the poor.
  מְרוּדִים <em>That are cast out</em>. The מ is radical, as in מְעוּנִים habitations (1 Chr. 4:41); comp. מרודי my exile10<i class="footnote">A. V., My misery.</i> (Lam. 3:19). 
  <em>To the house</em>. To thy house.
  <em>From thine own flesh</em>. From thy relative. Comp. He is our brother and our flesh (Gen. 37:27)
  
  Verse 8
  
  <em>Then shall thy light break forth as the morning</em>, gradually increasing. 
  וארוכתך <em>And thine health</em>. ארוכה is a noun; comp. Jer. 30:17. Some say that ארוכה, lit. length refers here to the time during which the illness is to last; the word מהרה speedily, which follows, agrees well with this explanation.11<i class="footnote">The meaning of the phrase ארוכתך מהרה תצמח accordingly is: The time of thy suffering will quickly run out.</i> 
  יאספך <em>Shall be thy rereward</em>. Comp. מאסף rereward (Num. 10:25). <em>And thy righteousness shall go</em>, etc. Thus, there will be protection from all sides.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <em>From thy midst</em>. From thy heart, or from the midst of Israel. מוטה <em>Yoke</em>. Slavery. 
  שׁלַח <em>The putting forth</em>. It is a verbal noun similar in form to the infinitive שְׁכַב to lie (1 Kgs. 1:21). <em>The putting forth of thy finger</em>, that is, the stretching out of the hand to smite the neighbour or to take away his property. ודבר <em>And to speak</em>. דבר is a verbal noun.
  
  Verse 10
  
  ותפק <em>And if thou draw out</em>. Comp. ויפק and obtaineth (Prov. 8:35.) נפשך <em>Thy soul</em>. It is, as it were,12<i class="footnote">Grammatically נפשך thy soul is in the objective case governed by ותפק, and if thou draw out. I. E., however does not consider it as the true object, since in reality the soul is not drawn out; but the food is given to the hungry with the soul, that is, willingly and gladly. But נפשך meaning, according to I. E., thy desire (see 56:11), admits also of the meaning: the object of thy desire, and the whole phrase may be explained thus: And if thou givest the hungry that which thou desirest for thyself; in that case נפשך would be the true object.</i> in the objective case. 
  נענה <em>Afflicted</em>. ענה נפש means always to fast, as may in this case be inferred from the expression תשביע thou wilt satisfy, which follows.13<i class="footnote">שבע full is the opposite of רעב hungry; תשביע thou wilt fill, requires for its object רעב the hungry; נפש נענה signifies, therefore, a person that is hungry, that is fasting, and not in a figurative sense, a person that afflicts his soul, that humbles himself by repentance. This remark of I. E. seems to be directed against those who explain the commandment נפשתיכם תענו את (Lev. 16:29) figuratively. Comp. I. E. on Lev. 16:29.</i> 
  <em>Then shall thy light</em>, etc. Thy light shall shine even in darkness; when evil afflicts mankind, thou wilt be delivered.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <em>And the Lord shall guide thee continually</em>. He will be with thee, wherever thou goest. 
  בצחצחות <em>In drought</em>. Comp. צחא is dry (5:13). It is the opposite of fulness.
  יחליץ Some declare it to be hap. leg., and explain it he will make fat; others render it he will strengthen, comparing it with חלוצי armed (Num. 31:5); others still think that יַחֲלִיץ and יְחַלֵּץ he delivereth (Job 36:15) are the same in meaning;13a<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the Kal יחלוץ; but from the other instances quoted, which are Piёl and Hiphil, it may be inferred that the Piёl יְחַלֵּץ was here intended by I. E.</i> as is the case with יַשְׁלִיחַ (Ex. 8:17) and יְשַׁלַּח he sendeth (Ps. 78:45), with יַשְֹמִיחַ (Ps. 89:43), and יְשַֹמַּח he gladdeneth (Lam. 2:17). This latter explanation is right; comp. He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken (Ps. 34:21); 
  ועצמתיו יחליץ means, therefore, He delivereth his bones from the danger of being broken. לא יכזבו <em>Fail not</em>, are not cut off; comp. כזב leasing (Ps. 4:3), a thing that cannot last but by chance.14<i class="footnote">The word מקרה chance can not be taken literally here; this would be against the theory of I. E.; it is opposed to עומד everlasting, and signifies exposed to unexpected dangers.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  ובנו ממך <em>And they that</em> shall be of thee shall build.
  <em>The foundations of many generations</em>, that is, a building standing on a foundation, which will last for generations.
  תקומם <em>Thou shalt raise up</em>. It is Polel like תשובב (Ps. 60:3).15<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has משובב, but this word is the beginning of the phrase which is next to be explained; the word with which תקומם is compared is missing, and תשובב, the word given in the translation, is probably the intended parallel.</i> <em>The restorer of paths to dwell in</em>. After people had ceased to tread them, thou wilt restore them, that people will dwell therein.16<i class="footnote">The roads had been desolate for a long time, they were not in a good condition, nor safe from the usual dangers of a lonely way; but now they will be restored, they will be in a good condition and well protected; they will not only be frequented by travellers, but people will settle along the roads.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  <em>If thou turn away</em>, etc. The Lord will lead thee continually (ver. 11), if thou keep back thy foot from the sabbath; or, thou shalt be called the restorer, etc. (ver. 12), if thou turn, etc., both explanations are equally admissible.17<i class="footnote">The difference between the two explanations can hardly be seen, for if the sentence, If thou turn away, etc., is the protasis to And the Lord shall guide thee, etc., (ver. 11), the words Thou shalt be called, etc., are part of the apodosis, which includes verses 11 and 12. The following conjecture suggests itself as probable: The words או הוא דבק עם משובב נתיבות are the product of some careless copyist, who omitted the word אז after עם, and erroneously repeated, perhaps, from the preceding line the words נתיבות משובב, which must therefore be struck out. The remark of I. E., thus emended, would tell us that the conditional sentence, If thou turn, etc., may be connected with the preceding verses as well as with the succeeding.</i> משבת From walking on sabbath. 
  <em>From doing thy pleasure</em>. Repetition of the same idea.
  <em>And thou wilt call the sabbath a delight</em>, that thou wilt do no work on it, and thy soul will rejoice in reading the words of the Law. 
  <em>The holy of the Lord</em>. The sabbath. <em>Honourable</em>. The words which follow explain its meaning. <em>And thou shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways</em>, which thou art accustomed to do in week days; the same idea is contained in the words from finding thine own pleasure. ודבר דבר <em>Nor speaking a word</em>,18<i class="footnote">A. V., Nor speaking thine own words.</i> concerning any future act, or concerning worldly affairs; thou shalt only speak of the words of the Law. As a general rule observe, that we require tradition for understanding this.19<i class="footnote">Tradition explains in detail what kind of work, according to the words of the prophet, is prohibited to be done on the Sabbath, and what is allowed. Comp. Tract. Shabbath, and Erubin. In everything that concerns the religious practice, I. E., refers to tradition contained in the Talmud, that is, to the Oral Law.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  <em>Then shalt thou delight</em>, etc. If thou call the sabbath a delight,20<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to cite intentionally the second part of vers. 13, in order to leave the question concerning the conditional sentence, If thou wilt turn, etc., still open. The question accordingly touches only the first part of the verse.</i> then thou shalt find delight in the Lord, as a child does in his father. במתי ארץ <em>The high places of the earth</em>. The holy land.21<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Deut. 32:13. Palestine was believed to be the middle of the inhabited part of the earth, and, therefore, the highest part of it.</i> 
  <em>And feed thee with the heritage</em>, etc. The prophet speaks to those that are in exile;22<i class="footnote">That are not in possession of their inheritance, that do not yet occupy the high places of the earth, and for whom the paths are not yet restored; all this is promised in this prophecy; I. E. therefore concludes that these words are addressed to those in exile.</i> therefore he uses the expressions, And I will cause thee to ride and Restorer of paths.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  The prophet continues to reprove those who are in exile, and concludes with the words, As for me, this is my covenant, etc. (ver. 21). Thus all these chapters are well connected together in one whole.1<i class="footnote">The leading idea in all these chapters from c. xl., according to I. E., is to prove that the Israelites are wrong in disbelieving the prophet, and manifesting want of confidence in the Divine promise of a perfect and lasting salvatior. I. E. points out, therefore, how this chapter begins with, Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, etc., and concludes with the declaration that the truth of the words which God commanded the prophet to proclaim, will be established for ever.</i>
  <em>Behold the Lord’s hand</em>, etc. Know that the Lord is not unable to help you.
  
  Verse 2
  
  לבין <em>And</em> (lit., between). It is a compound of ל and בין, each of which alone would suffice. 
  <em>Have hid His face</em>. This is a figurative expression, taken from man covering his face and closing his ears when he is unwilling to see or to hear. 
  
  Verse 3
  
  נגאלו <em>Are defiled</em>. The grammatical form of the word is a compound of the Niphal and Pual.2<i class="footnote">The נ of נגאלו is the characteristic of the Niphal; the Holem in the first syllable that of the Pual; the Niphal being נִגְאֲלוּ, the Pual גּאֲׁלוּ.</i>
  <em>With blood</em>. With murder.
  <em>Your fingers with iniquity</em>, that is, with dishonesty. 
  <em>Your lips</em>, etc. Your deeds and words are equally bad.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <em>None calleth for justice</em>. Nobody reproves you.
  נשפט <em>Judged</em>.3<i class="footnote">A. V., Pleadeth.</i> It is participle Niphal.4<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 13:15 and Note 18.</i> 
  <em>They trust in vanity</em>, etc. They promise each other what they never fulfil. 
  <em>They conceive mischief</em> in their minds.
  <em>And bring forth iniquity</em> in words.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <em>They hatch</em>, etc. They are compared with the cockatrice’s eggs, when they open themselves.5<i class="footnote">A. V., They hatch cockatrice’s eggs. I. E. supplies the relative כאשר when. The Hebrew text has the words: המשילם שהם כביצי צפעוני. Lit., he compared them, (saying) that they are like the eggs of the cockatrice. This passage seems to be corrupt, because, in the first place, if I. E. intended only to say that the prophet compared them with the eggs of the cockatrice, he would have said המשילם לביצי צפעוני, or אמר שהם כביצי צפעוני; secondly, the whole remark would, in that case, be superfluous; thirdly, from the preceding remark of I. E., in which thoughts and words are pointed at as meant by the prophet, it may be inferred, that the commentator will show in this remark that the prophet speaks of the deeds of the people. It is, therefore, probable that the words in question are a corruption of the original מעשיהם לביצי צפעוני המשיל, he compares their deeds with the eggs, etc.</i> 
  וקורי עכביש The web6<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has ידוע well-known; but יריעה, a web, a curtain, is meant. The same expression is used by Kimchi in explaining the word קורי.</i> of the work of a spider. 
  <em>Of their eggs</em>. Of the eggs of the cockatrice.
  וְהַזּוּרֶה <em>And that which is crushed</em>. It is an irregular form; the Segol under ר is substituted for Kamez, as in ולנה and it shall remain (Zec. 5:4.) זורה is participle passive; comp. מולים circumcised (Jos. 5:5); סוגה set about (Songs 7:2). As to its meaning comp. ויזר and he pressed7<i class="footnote">A.V., And thrust together.</i> (Jud. 6:38). If one presses the egg, the cockatrice breaks through and comes out. אפעה <em>Viper</em>. Comp. 30:6
  
  Verse 6
  
  <em>Their webs shall not become garments</em>. Their deeds are compared with the spider’s web, that is to say, they are not durable.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <em>Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, of wasting and destruction in their paths</em>, that is, in the paths which they go. The second half of the verse contains the same idea as the first half.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <em>Their paths</em> that were well known before (as straight), are now crooked. <em>Whosoever goeth therein</em>, that is, he who walks in their ways, and learns from them.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <em>Therefore is judgment far from us</em>, etc. The prophet now represents Israel while in exile, as speaking. 
  <em>For brightness</em>, etc. Repetition of the same idea.
  
  Verse 10
  
  נגששה <em>We grope</em>. It is hap. leg. Some connect it with גוש a clod (Job 7:5).8<i class="footnote">Or rather the reverse, connect גוש with גשש. The fundamental meaning seems to be to touch, to feel; from this is derived גוש clod, that is, some substantial thing that is felt. Comp. Ges. Lex., sub voce גוש.</i> 
  <em>At noon day as in the night</em>, that is, as if it were in the evening. It is a figurative expression.
  באשמנים. Some say that it means in graves;8a<i class="footnote">Comp. Targ. Jonathan: מתיא אתאחד באפנא כמה דאחידין קבריא באפי The door closes before us, as the graves close to the dead.—R. Joseph Kimchi explains likewise באשמנים in graves; he derives the word from the root שמם═אשם to be desolate, with a paragogic נ.</i> but it is equally admissible to explain it, at noon,9<i class="footnote">The opposite is said by some commentators, namely, that באשמנים means the same as במחשכים in darkness; this explanation is probably based on a comparison of this phrase with the verse He hath set me in dark places (במחשכים), as they that be dead of old (Lam. 3:6). צהרים in the Hebrew text is perhaps a corruption of חשכים.</i> or, amongst the living.9a<i class="footnote">באשמנים being considered to be the opposite of כמתים as dead men, as in the preceding phrase בצהרים at noonday is the opposite of כנשף in the night.</i> or, considering the א to be prosthetic, among the fat ones, that is, the heathen people.10<i class="footnote">The Israelites, while in exile, and deprived of liberty and independence, among successful and prospering people, compare themselves to dead persons among the living.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  <em>We roar</em>, etc. We cry, but nobody comes to our assistance, nobody comes to do us justice.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <em>For our transgressions</em>, etc. The repenting Israelites are now represented by the prophet as speaking. 
  ענתה בנו <em>Hath testified against us</em>. Comp. לא תענה ברעך, thou shalt not testify against thy neighbour (Ex. 20:13). 
  <em>For our iniquities are with us</em>. Our iniquities are yet with us.10a<i class="footnote">They have not yet been removed by repentance on the one side, and pardon on the other.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  פׇּשֹׁעַ וְכַחֵשׁ <em>In transgressing and lying</em>. These are infinitives; the meaning of פשע is to renounce obedience.
  נסג <em>Departing</em>. It is infinitive Niphal, similar in form to ונשלח and being sent (Est. 3:13).11<i class="footnote">The forms of the infinitive Niphal are נִפְעול and נׇסוג ;הִפׇּעְל and נשלוח are formed after נִפְעוֹל.</i> 
  סרה <em>Revolt</em>. Comp. סורר rebellious (Deut. 21:18).
  הורו <em>Conceiving it</em>,11a<i class="footnote">A.V., Conceiving, Uttering.</i> that is, forming it; comp. הורי my progenitors (Gen. 49:26); ותהר and she conceived (1 Chr. 4:17).12<i class="footnote">The instances quoted are intended to prove that the verb הרה to conceive, which is mostly used as a neuter verb, expressing a certain state and condition, is sometimes used as a transitive verb, and governs in that case the accusative.</i> Its form is the same as that of the succeeding והגו and uttering it; the possessive pronoun (וֹ) refers to שקר falsehood. Some say that הֹרוֹ and הֹגוֹ are irregular forms of the infinitive; the regular infinitive would be הׇגֹה ,הׇרֹה, comp. בׇּנֹה to build (1 Kings 8:13.) 
  מלב <em>From the heart</em>. They bring forth words of falsehood out of their hearts.
  
  Verse 14
  
  והסג <i>And is turned away</i>. It is Hophal
  <i>And justice standeth afar off</i>. It is figurative expression for "they evince no justice". אמת <i>Truth</i>. It is a feminine noun; the third radical (נ) is dropped and expressed implicitly by Dagesh in אמתך "thy truth" (38:18).
  נכחה <i>Equity</i>. Things which one says straightforwardly to his neighbour; comp. נכוחים right (Sam II 15:3).
  
  Verse 15
  
  משתולל According to some it means "mad;" comp. שולל "mad"13<i class="footnote">A.  V., "stripped."</i> (Mic. 1:8); אשתללו "they are mad" (Ps. 76::6); perhaps all these words are serived from שלל "to deprive of property;"14<i class="footnote">The meaning of משתולל accordingly is "maketh himself a prey (A. V.).</i> משתולל is the participle Hitpael of שלל.
  
  Verse 16
  
  וישתומם <em>And wondered</em>. Comp. שממה desolation (1:7).15<i class="footnote">שמם to be desolate, so that no word is heard; so he that wonders cannot utter a word in the first moment.</i> Rabbi Menahem connects it with 16<i class="footnote">וישתומם is, according to the opinion of R. Menahem, formed from שתם with reduplication of the third radical. I. E. properly rejects this explanation, because the ת is not a radical, but a formative letter, the characteristic of the Hithpael, being placed after the first radical, in accordance with the rule concerning the verbs, whose first radical is a sibilant. R. Menahem is a famous grammarian of the 11th century.</i>שתום (Num. 24:3); but he is wrong; it is improper to form וישבורר from שבר, with reduplication of the third radical. 
  ותשע לו זרעו <em>Therefore His arm helped him</em>.17<i class="footnote">A. V., Brought salvation.</i> This is an anthropomorphism, for, in fact, God helps, but does not require the assistance of others. The meaning of the phrase is, His glory helped Him to show His power.17a<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text are זרעו .והטעם על כבודו להראות גבורתו His arm, seems hero to be explained by His glory; and ותשע לו helped Him, to be complemented by to show His power. I. E. intends to remove the anthropomorphism by this explanation, but in reality he replaced it only by another one. The most striking expression in the anthropomorphism, the verb helped, as correctly pointed out by I. E., is not replaced by another verb. It is, however, possible that the whole phrase גבורתו והטעם, על כבודו להראות is the explanation of the expression זרעו his arm: his glory, in displaying his power, is meant.</i> 
  מפגיע <em>Intercessor</em>. Comp. יפגיע made intercession (53:12)
  
  Verse 17
  
  <em>And He put on</em>, etc. This is a figure taken from a warrior putting on his armour. 
  תלבשת <em>Clothing</em>. Both the letters ת are formative, as in תפארת glory (3:18).
  ויעט כמעיל קנאה <i>And was clad with zeal as a cloke</i>, that is, as if he were clad with a cloke.18<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to point out by this remark, that קנאה is not a genitive governed by מעיל, and that the whole phrase does not mean and was clad as it were with a cloke of zeal (similar to בגדי נקם garments of vengeance), but that both מעיל and קנאה are in the accusative case governed by the verb ויעט.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  כעל גמלות Like a man who is zealous for repaying.19<i class="footnote">It is not clear from the words of I. E. whether this remark refers also to כעל ישלם, and explains it to mean like a man (who is zealous) for revenge, or is limited to כעל גמלות; in that case the whole phrase is to be translated, Like a man (who is zealous) for repaying, so he (is clad with zeal) for revenge. A. V., According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay.</i> <i>Fury to his adversaries</i>, etc. He will repay fury to his adversaries, etc. 
  <i>To the islands</i>, etc. By his adversaries and enemies mentioned before, those on the continent are meant; the prophet continues, therefore, to the islands, etc.
  
  Verse 19
  
  ויראו Some explain it, And they will fear; one י being omitted (וייראו═ויראו); others, paying strict regard to its orthography, render it, and they shall see. 
  <i>The name of the Lord.</i> His deeds, as proved by the parallelism of the verse; His glory in the second part corresponds to the name of the Lord, in the first part.20<i class="footnote">If יראו means they will see, the expression the name of the Lord must refer to the works of the Lord, since the name cannot be seen. His glory is identical with his glorious works, or the glory displayed in his works.</i>
  צר <i>Distress</i>.21<i class="footnote">A. V., The enemy.</i> Comp. צר ומצק trouble and anguish (Ps. 119:143). It is a noun.22<i class="footnote">It can hardly be anything else. I. E. means, perhaps, to say that צר is an abstract noun (שם) signifying distress, and not a common noun (שם התואר) signifying enemy. (Comp. c. iii., Note 5).</i> In such a degree רוח יי נוססה בו the spirit of the Lord will wonderfully act therein.23<i class="footnote">A. V., The spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. Standard.</i> נוססה is derived from נס miracle. This verse is in perfect harmony with the prophecy, And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was, etc. (Dan. 12:1). At that time Israel alone will be saved; therefore this verse is followed by the words, And the Redeemer shall come to Zion.
  
  Verse 20
  
  גואל <i>Redeemer</i>, that is, Messiah. 
  <i>Unto them that turn from transgression</i>. Comp. Every one that shall be found written in the book (Dan. 12:1)
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>As for me</i>, <i>this is my covenant</i>. I shall make a covenant with them, namely, that my spirit which is upon thee, etc. <i>Upon thee</i>. Israel is addressed. <i>My spirit.</i> My prophecy; comp. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, etc. (Joel 3:1). 
  <i>And my words which I have put in thy mouth.</i> Repetition of the same idea. God has revealed Himself to His people through prophets, whose divine words shall never depart from the hearts of the Israelites.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  אורי <i>Shine.</i> It is the imperative; comp. בואי come (2 Sam. 13:11); these two have Holem instead of Shurek on account of the א.1<i class="footnote">The infinitive Kal of the verb ע״ו has, according to the rule, the vowel וּ; <i>e.g.</i>, קוּם, to rise. Generally the vowel is affected by the consonant which follows, but not by the preceding, as is the case in אוֹדִי, according to the opinion of I. E.</i>
  בא אורך Thy light is come, if taken in a good sense; but I think that it means thy light has set, and it has become dark; that is,2<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the word במו, which can be translated as if to say, or that is, but usually it introduces some quotation from the Bible; very probably it was originally followed by the words בי בא השמש because the sun was set (Gen. 28:11).</i> the evening is come, and the light which has shone for thee hitherto, is gone, but in its stead the glory of the Lord will henceforth shine over thee; comp. The sun shall be no more thy light by day, etc. (ver. 19). By the words Shine, etc., the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, or of the prophecy is meant.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>For behold, the darkness will cover the earth.</i> Comp. For distress shall come in like a flood (59:19).
  וערפל לאמים <i>And gross darkness</i>—supply יכסה shall cover—<i>the people</i>.
  <i>But upon thee</i>. Upon thee alone.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>And nations shall come to thy light.</i> He who is in darkness usually sees those that are dwelling in light.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>All they.</i> All thy sons and daughters, whom the prophet is going to mention; it may also refer to kings (ver. 3).
  תאמנה <i>Shall be nursed.</i> Comp. ויהי אמן and he brought up (Est. 2:7)
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>Then.</i> When kings come unto thee and bring thee thy children. תראי <i>Thou shalt fear,</i>3<i class="footnote">A. V., Thou shalt see. I. E. seems to have read תִּֽרְאִי or תִּרְאִי (root ירא), instead of תִּרְאִי.</i> like a man that trembles when help comes to him suddenly, or anything he did not anticipate; this is usually the case with a person who finds something. 
  ונהרת And thou wilt run hither and thither.4<i class="footnote">A. V., And flow together.</i> 
  <i>And thine heart shall fear and be enlarged.</i> Anxiety will be mixed with the rejoicing, which is indicated by the words: <i>And thine heart shall be enlarged.</i> This is the opposite of צרה straits, distress. 
  The reason of the joy will be <i>Because the abundance of the sea,</i> etc. The verse may also be explained thus: Thou shalt fear because of the great multitude that will flow unto thee.
  חיל גוים <i>The forces of the nations.</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., Of the Gentiles.</i> The land armies.6<i class="footnote">According to this explanation המון ים is not the abundance of the sea, but the multitude or the armies that will come by sea.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  שפעת <i>A company</i>. Comp. 2 Kgs. 9:17.
  בכרי <i>With dromedairies</i>.7<i class="footnote">A. V., The dromedaries.</i> The ב is a preposition; comp. בר the swift (16:1). <i>They shall bring</i> for a present.
  
  Verse 7
  
  ישרתונך <i>Shall minister unto thee</i>, that is, shall be at thy service; comp. לשרת to do service (Ex. 35:19), which is used of the cloth for covering the holy vessels during the journey. 
   על רצון על מזבחי═על רצון מזבחי With acceptance on my altar.8<i class="footnote">Usually one preposition is connected with several nouns, but in one and the same meaning; here this is not the case. על רצון means with acceptance, or for acceptance; על מזבחי upon my altar. But, in fact, the repetition of the preposition is not required here at all, since עלה governs also the accusative; comp. Gen. 49:4; Num. 13:17.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Who are these</i>, etc. This question refers to the children (ver. 4). The words Arise, shine, etc. (ver. 1) are addressed by God to Zion.9<i class="footnote">It seems as if I. E. explained this chapter to be a dialogue between God and Zion. Ver. 1 to ver. 7 is assigned to God; ver. 8 contains a question asked by Zion, the verses which follow contain the answer of God. Otherwise the remark is here superfluous, or at least out of place. (Comp. ver. 14).</i>
  ארבתיחם <i>Their windows.</i> The holes, where their nests are.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Shall wait for me,</i> that I shall give them a good reward. 
  <i>Tarshish.</i> This place is mentioned because it is near Palestine.10<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Jonah 1:3. He mentions there the opinion of Saadiah, that Tarshish is the same as Tarsus, Tartessus in Hispania Bætica; and also the opinion of another commentator, who believes it to be Tunis in Africa.</i> 
  <i>Their silver and their gold with them.</i> These words contain the reason why the islands shall wait for the Lord; the Israelites will not give them wages. It is distinctly said unto the name of the Lord thy God.11<i class="footnote">They will do all this work for the Israelites without expecting any pay for it except from the Lord, whose will they carry out.</i>
  פארך <i>He hath glorified thee.</i> The Kamez under ר instead of Zeré, is caused by the pause.12<i class="footnote">The feminine suffix –ֵ is here to be expected, because it refers to Zion, which is, in this whole chapter, addressed as a woman. I. E. attributes the cause of this change to the pause; but it must be considered as very exceptional, since the pause changes the masculine suffix –ְ into –ָ, but not so the feminine suffix –ֵ.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>And the sons of strangers shall build</i>, etc. The Israelites will not build the walls of Jerusalem, as they did not build even the temple; other nations will do it.
  
  Verse 11
  
  ופתּחו Some say that וּפִחְּחוּ is the same as וּפֻתְּחוּ and they will be opened. According to others, And they will open, that is, the sons of strangers will open, etc.; this explanation is not improbable.—The sense of the whole verse is: the gates will be opened continually, day and night, by those that will bring in the abundance of nations. 
  <i>Their kings</i>, that is, those who had been their kings. <i>And that their kings may be brought.</i> Comp. To bind their kings with chains (Ps. 149:8)
  
  Verse 12
  
  חרב יחרבו <i>They will be slain.</i> This verb is derived from חרב sword; comp. החרב נחרבו they are surely slain. (2 Kgs. 3:23). Some explain it they shall be utterly wasted, and compare it with חרבן destruction. I prefer the first explanation.
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The glory of Lebanon.</i> The best trees of Lebanon; the fir tree, etc. 
  <i>To beautify the place of my sanctuary.</i> To build the house of the Lord.
  
  Verse 14
  
  שחח <i>Bending.</i> It is a noun.13<i class="footnote">I. E. uses the expression שם a noun; he means perhaps שם הפועל infinitive or verbal noun, as contrasted with פועל participle, and שם התואר common noun; in the latter cases the plural form would be used. Comp. c. iii., Note 5.</i> 
  <i>And they shall call thee the city of the Lord.</i> This proves that the exclamation Arise, etc. is addressed to Zion.14<i class="footnote">Another opinion is mentioned, Midrash Yalkut ad locum: R. Johanan compares these words (קומי אורי) to those uttered by one who is about to travel at night a little before dawn; he gets a candle lit, but the flame is blown out; he gets another candle, but it meets with the same fate; he then resigns himself and says: I shall not trouble myself any longer with those candles, I shall wait for the light of the morning. The same was the case with the Israelites: they said: We have lit the candle in the time of Moses; it has been put out; under king Solomon we lit another candle, this also was extinguished; we must now resign ourselves and wait, till the Lord himself will renew for us the light. Therefore God said: Arise, my light (אורי), etc. I. E. thought, perhaps, of this or similar passages in the Midrash, when he considered it necessary to remind us repeatedly that the words קומי אורי are addressed to Zion.</i> 
  עיר קדש ישראל═קדש ישראל The city of the holy One of Israel. Comp. Ps. 6:1.15<i class="footnote">קדוש ישראל is the genitive; but it cannot be governed by ציון, because the latter is a proper noun, and proper nouns do not govern a genitive; wherever, therefore, this seems to be the case, another noun in apposition to it is supplied, as <i>e. g.</i> here, the word עיר city.</i>
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>Thou hast been forsaken.</i> When in a state of ruin.
  <i>A rejoicing of many generations</i>. A rejoicing, which shall never cease.
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>The milk of nations</i>. Their money; they will pay tribute.
  שד <i>Breast.</i> It is the same as שָׁדַיִם. The form of the nouns is not constant.16<i class="footnote">The two forms referred to are שֹׁד and שֵׁד. Comp. I. E. on c. 9:3, and Note 4.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>I will bring gold.</i> That is, I shall induce the nations to bring the gold, or, and that is perhaps better—I shall bring thee the value of gold;17<i class="footnote">That is, for the copper that has been taken away from thee, thou wilt get a compensation of such a value, as if gold had been taken away.</i> (or,18<i class="footnote">זהב גוים the gold of nations seems to be another reading for the preceding זהב gold, but not a new explanation. Comp. נ״א another reading of the M.S. of the British Museum.</i> the value of the gold of nations.) Copper is better than iron, it is therefore contrasted with gold.
  פקודתך <i>Thy officers.</i> Lit., the men of thy office (אנשי פקודתך). Comp. פקיד officer. The men, who distribute the taxes. 
  <i>I will make thine officers peace</i>. They will collect the taxes in peace.
  <i>And thine exactors righteousness</i>. They will exact the money with righteousness.
  
  Verse 18
  
  <i>Violence shall not,</i> etc. Repetition of the same idea. 
  וקראת ישועה חומתיך Some explain it: And salvation will meet thy walls; comp. וֹקראת אתכם הרעה and evil will befall you (Deut. 31:29); others: And salvation shall call unto thy walls; but it is more correct to take וקראת as the second person feminine, and to render it, And thou, Zion, wilt call thy walls salvation. The correctness of this explanation is proved by the words which follow: ושעריך תהלה and thy gates praise. וקראת is to be repeated before ושעריך, according to the rule of ellipsis.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>The sun shall be no more,</i> etc. Thou wilt not want the light of the sun, because of the light of God. 
  <i>An everlasting light,</i> that shines day and night.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>Thy sun shall no more go down</i>, etc. That sun19<i class="footnote">The glory of the Lord mentioned in the preceding verse as a substitute for the light of sun and moon.</i> will not set, and that moon לא יאסף <i>Shall not withdraw itself.</i> Lit., shall not be gathered; the moon appears dark to the earth, when in conjunction with the sun.20<i class="footnote">The phrase the moon is gathered means, according to I. E., the moon comes together with the sun, in one straight line from the earth, so that the part of the moon illuminated by the sun is not seen by the inhabitants of the earth, and she is, therefore, not seen at all: this is the case at every new moon.</i> 
  <i>And the days of thy mourning shall be ended.</i> The mourner sits, as it were, in darkness.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>The branch.</i> Comp. And a branch shall grow out of his roots (11:1).
  <i>The work of my hands, that I may be glorified.</i> It is a figure taken from the joy which a man feels when his work proves to be successful.21<i class="footnote">God rejoices that Israel have proved themselves, by repentance and by faithfulness to the word of God, deserving of the promised distinction, and worthy of the position assigned to them among the nations.</i>
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>The little one,</i> etc. The small family, that numbers a few, shall become a thousand. 
  <i>In his time,</i> that is, when the time of salvation will come, <i>I will hasten it,</i> that is, the salvation; or, I shall hasten to make the little one a strong nation; לגוי עצום <i>A strong nation</i>. Comp. And I shall make thee a great nation (Gen. 12:2)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Upon me.</i> The first person refers to the prophet. <i>The spirit.</i> The prophecy. Comp. And took of the spirit, that was upon him (Num. 11:25). 
  <i>Because the Lord hath anointed me.</i> The prophets are called anointed; comp. Touch not mine anointed (Ps. 105:15).1<i class="footnote">The second part of this verse, And do my prophets no harm, shows that the expressions anointed (משיחי) and prophets (נביאי) signify here the same persons.</i> R. Moses Hakkohen says that the protasis beginning Because the Lord is continued till ver. 9, and the apodosis commences I will greatly rejoice (ver. 10); but it is not at all necessary to make this explanation; because יען means2<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words כי יען טעמו השם משחני, lit., for יען has the meaning ‘ God has anointed me,’ etc., but יען has not this meaning; after טעמו the word טעם the reason why has been omitted, which has been restored in the translation.</i> the reason of, and the whole phrase can be rendered thus: The reason why God has anointed me is, that I shall bring good tidings, etc.
  פקחקח <i>The opening of the prison.</i> It is one word, with the reduplication of the second and third radical; it is similar in form to סחרחר panteth (Ps. 38:11), אדמדם red (Lev. 13:49), ירקרק green (Lev. ibid).
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>The acceptable year.</i> The year of redemption.
  <i>All that mourn</i> for Zion, as is said in the next verse.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>To appoint unto them that mourn for Zion</i> that which the text is going to enumerate2a<i class="footnote">The words לתת להם to give unto them, are accordingly a mere repetition of the phrase לשום לאבלי ציון to appoint unto them that mourn for Zion.</i>. <i>Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.</i> The mourner does not anoint with oil, as may be gathered from the story of the woman of Tekoa. (2 Sam. 14:2).
  כהה <i>Weak.</i>3<i class="footnote">A. V., Heaviness.</i> It is an adjective of the same root as the verb בהה (Lev. 13:6) which is rendered by some is become dark, but by me hath decreased, as it is contrasted with פׁשהֹ spread.4<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 42:3, and on Levit. 13:6.</i>
  אילי <i>Trees</i>. Comp. אילים oaks (1:29);5<i class="footnote">The same explanation is given by Rashi; but the Chaldæan translation renders it רברבי the great.</i> the words which follow, the planting of the Lord, support this explanation.
  
  Verse 4
  
  עולם Of old.6<i class="footnote">עולם has here the meaning a very long time; it means usually for ever; but this is not applicable here.</i> 
  ראשנים Of former generations.7<i class="footnote">I. E. adds the word דורים to make it clear, that the adjective ראשנים is not to be connected with חרבות since the latter is feminine, while the former has the masculine termination; but with the word דורים, which is either to be supplied or is implied in the adjective דאשנים.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And strangers shall stand</i> before you like servants.
  אבריכם <i>Your ploughmen.</i> אִבָּר is an adjective, meaning tilling the field.8<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 3:4 and note 5.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  כהני <i>The priests</i>. I said already that the meaning of כהן is, one that ministers; it is therefore qualified here by the genitive of our God. The other nations will resemble the Israelites, and the Israelites will be like the Aaronites; the Israelites will therefore receive the abundance of nations as their tithes. 
  תתאמרו═תתימרו <i>Shall ye boast yourselves.</i> Comp. האמרת thou hast boasted (Deut. 26:17).9<i class="footnote">I. E. connects with the same root the word אמיר (17:6). In his commentary on Deuteronomy he explains likewise the verb האמרת to mean thou hast praised, but at the same time approves of the explanation of R. Jehudah Hallevi, that האמרת means thou hast caused to declare.</i>
  
  Verse 7
  
  משנה <i>Double.</i> The verb you shall inherit is to be supplied.
  ותחת כלמה═ובלמה And for confusion.
  <i>Therefore in their land</i>, etc. 
  This is the explanation of the word double in the first part of the verse.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>For I, the Lord, love judgment</i>, etc. I shall give them their reward, for I love righteousness; I hate robbing even in the burnt offering that is brought to me; therefore ונתתי פעלתם וגו׳ <i>I will give them their reward</i>, etc. As to פעלתם their reward comp. פעלת the wages (Lev. 19:13). 
  By these words the expression I hate robbing is explained; as if God said, I shall not rob them; for if I gave them not their reward, I should rob them of their wages.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>And their seed shall be known.</i> This prediction does not imply that Israel will again be scattered among the nations, but that they will be known among the nations, who will come up to the holy land to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles (comp. Zec. 14:16), and among them that will bring the tribute.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>I will greatly rejoice.</i> These are the words which Israel will then proclaim.
  יעטני <i>He hath covered me</i>. It is past of עוטה ; יעט covering (Ps. 104:2) is of the same root, though of a different form.10<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words מגזרת עוטה והם שני בנינים, of the same root as עוטה, but of a different conjugation. This is not the case; both are of the Kal, but their roots are different; the one is to be derived from עטה, the other from יעט. The reverse would be correct, namely, מבנין עוטה והם ב׳ שרשים פעל עבר it is the past tense of the same conjugation as עוטה, but the two verbs have different roots. This is perhaps the right reading.</i>
  יכהן <i>Serveth</i>.11<i class="footnote">A. V., Decketh himself with.</i> It is a transitive verb, and פאר ornament is the object; it is attended to by the bridegroom; compare my remark on ישרתונך shall minister unto thee (60:7). 
  <i>And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels,</i> with the chain round her neck.
  
  Verse 11
  
  כארץ תוציא <i>Like the earth which bringeth forth</i>.12<i class="footnote">A. V., As the earth bringeth forth, etc.13 I. E. explains the expression צמח, to grow, used here of righteousness, in a figurative sense. Righteousness will, as it were, grow in the estimation of man, so that all will endeavour to become righteous, and to perform righteous deeds.</i> <i>So the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth</i>. Righteousness and praise will increase, as though they grew.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>For Zion’s sake will I not</i>, etc. Thus Israel will speak, when in exile.
  יבער <i>That burneth.</i> The relative אשר that must be supplied; for the verb agrees with לפיד lamp.1<i class="footnote">יבער being the third person masculine cannot be connected as predicate with the feminine noun יבער; וישועתה is therefore connected with the masculine noun לפיד, by supplying the relative אשר; and the whole phrase is to be translated: And the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  קורא <i>Shall be called.</i> It is Pual.
  יקבנו <i>Will name.</i> Comp. אשר נקבו which are expressed (Num. 1:17)
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>In the hand of the Lord.</i> In some countries people wear crowns on their hands.2<i class="footnote">This is equivalent to saying that the word עטרת, mostly used in the meaning of crown, that is, an ornament of the head, has sometimes the general meaning ornament, referring to ornaments of other parts of the body, as <i>e.g.</i>, here, of the hand. But it is, in fact, not necessary to join ביד with עטרת; we may join it with והיית and explain the phrase thus: Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord—that is, well protected and guarded by the Lord. Comp. Kimchi ad locum.</i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken</i>, etc. This verse shows that the words For Zion’s sake, etc. are spoken by the Lord; the expression I will not rest, etc. must be taken in a figurative sense.
  חפצי בה <i>My delight is in it.</i>3<i class="footnote">A. V., Hephzi-bah.</i> These are two separate words. 
  <i>Shalt be married</i>. The next verse explains the meaning thereof.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>So shall thy sons marry thee</i>. This is a figurative expression for the kingdom will be restored to thee.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Watchmen.</i> By this name those that mourn for Zion are meant, who do nothing else but cry, who do not sleep during the night, but are like watchmen upon the walls, 
  nor do they sleep during the day, while watchmen may at least sleep during the day; comp. They that cause to watch for lying vanities, forsake their idol (Jon. 2:9).4<i class="footnote">A. V., They that observe lying vanities.—I. E. proves by this quotation that the expression to watch signifies sometimes to wait for help, to pray; because משמרים means they that cause to pray, and refers to the people in the ship that stirred each other up to prayer; so here also the word שמרים watchmen refers to those that feel themselves continually stirred up to pray to the Almighty for the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple.</i> The prophet himself explains the expression watchmen by the words המזכירים את יי that remind the Lord. מזכירים is a causative verb; lit., that cause the Lord to remember; comp. הזכירני put me in remembrance (43:26)
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>The Lord hath sworn</i>, etc. This verse also proves5<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words גם נשבע גם זה לאות וגו׳. The first גם connects this verse with the preceding verse in this way: Till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yea, he has sworn to do it. But it is also possible that it is an erroneous repetition of the second גם.—The Lord here promised to establish Jerusalem in such a way that it should no more be spoiled. This cannot refer to the deliverance from the Babylonian exile, because Jerusalem was repeatedly spoiled after that event; and since the word that cometh out of the mouth of the Lord, does not return void, these predictions are explained to refer to the deliverance yet to come.</i> clearly, that this prophecy refers to the time yet to come; for the Lord hath sworn, that is, has made an unconditional decree.6<i class="footnote">The predictions of good or evil events are generally connected with the condition pronounced or understood, if you hearken unto me or if you hearken not unto me. But a prediction introduced by a phrase like He hath sworn will be accomplished unconditionally.</i> <i>By His right hand.</i> By His might, which is everlasting. The right hand is mentioned here to indicate His power of preventing enemies despoiling the Israelites of their corn, etc.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>Shall eat it.</i> Shall eat thy corn. <i>And they that have brought it together</i>, that have brought the wine together.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Go through,</i> etc. Having mentioned the prosperity of the land for the sake of the mourners for Zion, who will enjoy it without anxiety, the prophet continues to describe, how the deliverance of Israel from his exile, and his return to his own land will be with honour; the princes of the nations will say Go through, etc. that is, go through the gates to proclaim in every place Prepare the way of the people, clear it of stones, lift up a standard throughout the whole world.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>The daughter of Zion.</i> The daughter, whom she has born.7<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text are הבת שהולידה; they seem to be incorrect, because the Hiphil of ילד is not used of women; moreover, there is no necessity at all to explain the daughter of Zion by the daughter, whom she (Zion) has born. It is difficult to tell what I. E. intended to say by these words. Comp. his remark on 47:1 and Note 1.</i>
  ופעלתו <i>And His wages.</i>8<i class="footnote">A. V., And his work.</i> I have already explained this word (61:8). 
  <i>His reward</i>, for those that bear patiently the exile, or for those that will honour Israel.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>And unto thee</i>. The second person refers to Zion.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>Who is this that cometh.</i> Some refer this to Messiah, others to the angel Michael;1<i class="footnote">Comp. And there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael, your prince Dan. 10:21.</i> but more correctly it may be referred to God.2<i class="footnote">The words השםִ הנכבד the honoured name of the Hebrew text are used instead of יי the Lord, by I. E., in order not to connect the description with dyed garments, etc., directly with God. Comp. I. E. on 42:8.</i> This prophecy contains the decree made against Edom, that is, against the empire of Rome and Constantinople, who are called Edomites, because they adopted the Edomite religion—that is, the Christian religion—which was first established among the Edomites.2a<i class="footnote">The words This prophecy, etc., till among the Edomites, are omitted in some editions; they were either struck out by the censors, or left out by the printers from fear of the censorship.</i>
  חמוץ <i>Stained</i>. Comp. חומץ vinegar (Num. 6:3).3<i class="footnote">The two words seem, according to I. E., to be derived from חמץ to be red. See Gesenius Lex. Hebr. Chald.</i>
  זה הדור בלבושו <i>He that was so glorious</i>4<i class="footnote">A. V., This that is glorious.</i> <i>in his apparel</i>, how has he stained himself!
  צעה <i>Who bindeth</i>5<i class="footnote">A. V., Travelling.</i> others; comp. צועים וצעוהו oppressors, that will oppress him6<i class="footnote">Wanderers, that shall cause him to wander.</i> (Jer. 48:12). The correctness of this explanation7<i class="footnote">That צעה is the participle of a transitive verb, in opposition to the opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen, who says, that צעה is a common noun (שם התואר See c. iii., Note 5). There is no grammatical difficulty in rendering בחו צעה ברב who bindeth people in the greatness of his strength; but the verb would be missing, if צעה were a noun.</i> is confirmed by the words which follow: in the greatness of his strength. R. Moses Hakkohen says, that צועה is here as in 51:14, an adjective, not a transitive verb.—
  The answer to the question Who is this, etc., is I that speak in righteousness, etc. רב <i>Mighty</i>. Comp. רב officer (Est. 1:8).
  <i>From Bozrah.</i> Bozrah is the name of a place. It is as if He came from there, from the people of Bozrah, from Edom, and all those that follow the same religion, wherever they are.
  
  Verse 2
  
  ללבושך <i>Thine apparel</i>.8<i class="footnote">A. V., In thine apparel. Comp. c. xxxii., Note 1.</i> The preposition ל is pleonastic as in 1) לאבשלום Chr. 3:2). <i>Like him that treadeth in the winefat.</i> Blood is in colour similar to wine.
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>I have trodden</i>, etc. This prophecy refers to the destruction of Edom, and the overthrow of the dominion of his religion. 
  <i>I alone</i> have thus decreed against Edom.
  ואדרכם <i>And I trod them</i>.9<i class="footnote">A. V., For I will tread them. And shall be sprinkled. And I will stain.</i>9<i class="footnote">A. V., For I will tread them. And shall be sprinkled. And I will stain.</i>&lt;10<i class="footnote">See I. E. on 1:21, Note 43.</i>sup&gt;9<i class="footnote">A. V., For I will tread them. And shall be sprinkled. And I will stain.</i> The form of the verb seems to indicate the future, but in fact the imperfect is meant.
  וְיֵז <i>And sprinkled</i>. It is similar in form to וַיֵט and he stretched forth (Ex. 9:23).
  נצחם <i>Their blood</i>. The blood is called נֶצַח lit. time, because t11<i class="footnote">The phrase לנצח נצחים (34:10) is explained by I. E., להם זמנים אין קץ periods of time without end. Others compare נצחם their blood with נצח strength (1 Sam. 15:29), the purity and proper circulation of the blood being the essential condition of the health and strength of man; others, again, derive it from a root נזה═נצח to sprinkle. (Ges. Lex. Hebr. Chald.)</i>hrough the blood man lives his time; it is of the same root as נצח for ever (34:10).
  אגאלתי <i>I stained</i>. The א is here substituted for ה, the characteristic of the Hiphil, or the word is a compound of the past and future; I prefer the latter explanation. As to its meaning I stained, comp. יגאלהו shall stain it (Job 3:5)
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>For the day of vengeance</i>, etc. For I will wreak vengeance against my enemies, and I will redeem my friends. גאולי <i>My redeemed.</i> It is participle passive plural with the suffix, first person, referring to God.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>And I looked</i>, etc. This is a figurative expression; for in fact God does not need that.
  ואשתומם <i>And I wondered</i>. Compare my explanation of וישתומם (59:16)
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Nations.</i> Other nations beside Edom.
  ואוריד לארץ נצחם And I will pour out their blood11<i class="footnote">The phrase לנצח נצחים (34:10) is explained by I. E., להם זמנים אין קץ periods of time without end. Others compare נצחם their blood with נצח strength (1 Sam. 15:29), the purity and proper circulation of the blood being the essential condition of the health and strength of man; others, again, derive it from a root נזה═נצח to sprinkle. (Ges. Lex. Hebr. Chald.)</i> to the earth.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>I will mention</i>, etc. The wise of Israel will then acknowledge the great number of benefits bestowed upon them by God at the departure from Egypt, during the exile, and in their deliverance and restoration to their own country. 
  <i>The praises of the Lord.</i> The mention of the kindness of the Lord, is His praise.
  ורב טוב <i>And great in goodness.</i>12<i class="footnote">A. V., And the great goodness.</i> This is an attribute of the Lord.13<i class="footnote">By this remark I. E. reminds us not to confound the attribute of God רַב מוב Great in goodness, with רב מוּב the abundance of goodness ═ the great goodness. רַב is an adjective, רֹב an abstract noun.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>For he said.</i> This is an anthropomorphism.14<i class="footnote">In reality, such a miscalculation cannot be attributed to the Omniscient; but the prophet means to say that God favoured the Israelites to such a degree that they ought to have been faithful servants of the Lord at all times.</i> He thought they would become faithful children, and therefore he helped them.
  
  Verse 9
  
  לא The true meaning of the word is to Him;15<i class="footnote">I. E. usually follows the Keri, that is, the reading recommended by the Massorah; לו to him is here the Keri, לׂא not, the Ketib.</i> and לא צר (lit., Unto Him was trouble), he was afflicted, has the same meaning as And His soul was grieved (Jud. 10:16). It is a figurative expression. He was, as it were, in distress, therefore He hastened to deliver them. 
  <i>And the angel of His presence</i>. Comp. And sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt (Num. 20:16); this does by no means refer to Moses.15a<i class="footnote">Although I. E. admits that the word מלאך angel or messenger is sometimes used of prophets (Comp. I. E. on 42:19), he refers it in this case to the angel in the usual sense of the word. Comp. I. E. on Num. 20:16.</i>
  וינטלם <i>And he bare them</i>. Comp. ונטל and the weight (Prov. 27:3). It refers to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. <i>And he carried them</i> in their land. כל ימי עולם <i>All the days of the long period</i> of their stay in their own land.16<i class="footnote">עולם is, according to I. E., a long period, but its nature and limits must be gathered from the context; ימות עולם (Deut. 32:7) refers to the past; עד עולם (Ps. 90:2) for ever to the future; עד עולם (1 Sam. 1:22), the whole lifetime, etc., here I. E. infers from the preceding, And he carried them in their land, that it refers to the period during which they had possession of their land.</i>
  
  Verse 10
  
  ועצבו <i>And vexed</i>. Comp. אל תעצבו be not grieved (Gen. 45:5). <i>And vexed His holy spirit</i>. This is a figurative expression. Some understand by the holy spirit the angel of the Lord.17<i class="footnote">In order to remove the anthropomorphism. Comp. Targ. Jonathan וארגיזו על מימר נביאי קודשיה they acted provokingly against the words of His holy prophets.</i> <i>He fought against them</i> till they left His land.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>Then he remembered the days of old</i>, the days that have passed.
  משה עמו <i>The days of Moses and his people.</i>18<i class="footnote">A. V., Moses and His people.</i> As to the asyndeton משה עמוּ comp. שמש ירח the sun and moon (Hab. 3:11). The word משה, however, may also be taken as a participle, meaning he who brought out, who delivered Israel; but the first explanation is preferable.19<i class="footnote">In his excursus on Ex. 3:15, he says that the tetragrammaton is generally used as a proper noun, but sometimes as a common noun, and thus find it analogous to the proper noun משה, which is once used as a common noun, namely, in this passage משה עמו. The words but the first explanation is preferable are, perhaps, spurious.</i> 
  <i>Where is he that</i>, etc. Where is he, that brought them up, out of the Red Sea?
  את רעה צאנו <i>With the shepherd of his flock.</i> With Moses who was the shepherd of Israel.20<i class="footnote">The words of the Hebrew text are על משקל משה, which seem to have been written by mistake instead of עם with, the explanation of אֵת. Firstly, it is not correct to say that רֹעֵה is formed after משֶֹה; secondly, if the discrepancy with regard to the vowels be not taken into account, it is unnecessary to make any remarks concerning the formation of the regular construct state רֹעֵה from רֹעֶה. The words על משקל are probably the product of some ingenious copyist, who took עם for the initials of על משקל.</i> 
  <i>That put within him,</i> that put within Moses, the angel of the Lord, or, that put in the midst of Israel.
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>His glorious arm:</i> His angel, that went before the camp of Israel (Ex. 14:19)	
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>The deep</i>. The sea.
  <i>In the wilderness</i>, which is upon dry land.21<i class="footnote">I. E. divides the verse into two sentences, He led them through the deep, and He led them, (to be supplied) in the wilderness, or, in the plain, while, according to others, the verse contains only one sentence, He led them through the deep, as a horse (is safely led) in the wilderness.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>As a beast goeth down</i>, etc. After their departure from the sea, God led them through the wilderness as gently as a beast goes down into the valley; thus the spirit of the Lord תניחנו led them that is, Israel; 
  תניחם═תניחנו. The suffix (ו) of the third person singular may however more accurately be referred to Moses, because of the words which follow, So didst Thou lead Thy people; the prophet speaking both of Moses and the Israelites.
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>Look down,</i> etc. The prophet repeats here the prayer of the intelligent portion of those referred to in ver. 10.22<i class="footnote">And He fought against them, that is, He punished them with exile; the better part of the nation then prayed to the Almighty for relief and deliverance.</i>
  מזבול <i>From the habitation</i>. Comp. יזבלני will dwell with me (Gen. 30:21). It is a repetition of the preceding idea in other words.
  התאפקו <i>They are restrained</i> at present. Comp. להתאפק to refrain himself (Gen. 45:1)
  
  Verse 16
  
  <i>Thou art our father</i>, and we are Thy children; Thou art a father that is always existing. 
  <i>Though Abraham be ignorant of us,</i> etc. Abraham is mentioned, as having been the first with whom God made a covenant to be a God unto him and his children; Jacob is also mentioned as the last of the patriarchs, and the founder of our nation exclusively.
  יכירָנו <i>Acknowledge us</i>. Comp. יבדילני instead of יבדילֵני hath separated me (56:3)
  
  Verse 17
  
  למה תתענו <i>Why dost thou make us to err</i>.23<i class="footnote">A. V., Why hast Thou made us to err? It is considered a blasphemy to say of God, that He causes men to sin; the object of the various explanations mentioned by I. E. is, to free the expression from this charge.</i> Because God is the highest, first cause of everything, therefore He is mentioned as the cause of this erring. Others take it in a sense similar to that of the Rabbinical phrase לעשות תשובה אין מספיקין בידו he is not permitted to repent (Mishnah Aboth, 5:18).23a<i class="footnote">This is said of him, who misleads others to sin; he is not permitted to repent, he cannot completely remedy the evil which he has produced. It is easy to mislead, but not so easy to make people, when once misled, understand their error, and return to the right way. The question, Why doest Thou make us to err? is to be explained in a similar way, namely, Why do we find it so difficult to repent, to undo our acts of wickedness? Why doest Thou not make the way of our return unto Thee smooth and easy?</i> Some are of opinion that this is only the imagination of man;24<i class="footnote">People that feel some strong inclination to sin, are easily misled to imagine that God Himself prevents them from improving, and that it is no more in their power to master themselves. According to this explanation, the question Why dost Thou cause us to err? is to be taken literally, and to be considered as the expression of a false opinion widely spread among the people.</i> others, again, say that this refers to those duties only which we cannot perform during our exile.24a<i class="footnote">As <i>e.g.,</i> the commandments introduced by a formula like When ye be come into the land; the commandments concerning the temple and the service therein.</i>
  תקשיח <i>Thou removest</i>.25<i class="footnote">A. V., Thou hast hardened.</i> Comp. הקשיח He hath removed25a<i class="footnote">A. V., She is hardened. The same translation is to be given according to I. E. on Job.</i> (Job 39:16). 
  <i>Thy servants</i>, the patriarchs. <i>The tribes of thine inheritance</i>. The twelve tribes of Israel.26<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has השופטים the judges; but there is no reason why the tribes of thine inheritance should be referred to the judges. If the words thy servants refer, as I. E. explains, to the Patriarchs, the expression the tribes of thine inheritance, for whose sake God is implored to return, refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. השופטים is a corruption of השבטים the tribes, an expression often used in Rabbinical Literature, to signify the twelve sons of Jacob.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  למצער A little while.
  למצער ידשו עם קדשך <i>The people of thy holiness have possessed</i> the holy land <i>but for a little while</i>, and now <i>the enemies have trodden down</i>, etc. Some explain the verse thus: The people of Thy holiness has been dispossessed (by the enemy) for a small thing, or for a short time,27<i class="footnote">מצער means small or little, and admits of the rendering a little while as well as a little thing.</i> and this latter explanation is right.
  
  Verse 19
  
  היינו מעולם וגו' We are like men, over whom Thou hast never ruled.
  לוא קרעת שמים Some refer this phrase to the revelation on Mount Sinai, and render it As if Thou hadst not rent the heavens;1<i class="footnote">To give us Thy commandments. לוּא is, according to this explanation, the same as לא not. Comp. Targum Jonathan: לא להון ארבנת שמיא not for them (for the heathen people) hast thou descended from heaven.</i> but it is more correct to take לוּ═לוּא in its usual meaning if; (comp. Ps. 84:13), and to explain the sentence thus: If Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that is, if Thou wouldst send forth Thy decrees, then, the mountains, that is, the kings2<i class="footnote">Kingdoms (מלכות) or nations (גוים) would better correspond with the phrase מפניך גוים ירגזו thus the nations would tremble at Thy presence (64:1), which seems to be the explanation of מפניך הרים נזלו.</i> who sit in safety, would flow down at Thy presence. נָזֹלּוּ <i>Would flow down</i>. The Dagesh in the ל is caused by the pause;3<i class="footnote">This Dagesh is called by the Grammarians: euphonic (לתפארת הקריאה); comp. חָדְלֽוּ ═ חָדֵלּֽוּ (Jud. 5:7).</i> 
  נָזֹלּוּ is in form similar to יָכֹלוּ they could (Ex. 8:14).4<i class="footnote">The comparison of נָזֹלּוּ with יָבֹלוּ is only made with regard to the Holem in the second syllable, but not concerning the Dagesh in the third radical, since יָבֹלוּ has no Dagesh.</i>
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  כקרח אש המסׁים <i>As when the melting fire burneth,</i> and mountains melt in the heat of the fire, and. מים תבעה אש <i>Like the water</i>, <i>which the fire causeth to boil</i>.5<i class="footnote">A. V., As when the fire causeth the waters to boil.</i> As to תבעה causeth to boil (lit. swelleth) comp. אבעבעות blains (Ex. 9:9). מפניך גוים ידגזו Thus the nations would tremble at Thy presence.6<i class="footnote">A. V., That the nations may tremble at Thy presence.</i>
  
  Verse 2
  
  בעשותך When thou didst.
  נוראות Terrible things. It is an adjective, and a noun must be supplied. Comp.7<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words כמו ועל דרך; but either כמו or ועל דרך is superfluous, because both expressions have the same meaning: like. It is also possible that the original text had a word like חלקות (30:10) after כמו which has been omitted by some careless copyist.</i> עזות rough words (Prov. 18:20).
  לא נקוה <i>Which we looked not for.</i>
  ירדת When thou camest down. מפניך הרים נזלו <i>Then the mountains flowed down at Thy presence.</i> Such things Thou hast already done in the past.
  
  Verse 3
  
  לא שמעו ונו׳ Men have not heard,8<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 2:4, Note 5.</i> nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, etc. יעשה What he will prepare.9<i class="footnote">A. V., What He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.</i> למחכה For him that will wait.
  
  Verse 4
  
  פגעת וגו׳ <i>Thou didst meet him,</i> etc.10<i class="footnote">A. V., Thou meetest him, etc.</i> When thou wast angry in former days, thou didst meet the righteous; comp. Had not Moses, his chosen, stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath? (Ps. 106:23). It may also be rendered, Thou acceptedst the prayer of him, etc. Comp. לא אפגע אדם I will not accept the prayer of any man (47:3; 53:12).
  את שש <i>Him that rejoiced</i>.11<i class="footnote">A. V., Him that rejoiceth.</i> The righteous man that rejoiced in God.11a<i class="footnote">Better Rashi: Him that rejoiced in doing righteousness; and Targum Jonathan: דחדיאו למעבד רעותך בקשוט וכזבו who rejoiced when performing Thy will with truth and integrity.</i> 
  <i>In Thy ways</i>. The ways which Thou hast taught us through the faithful of Thy house.12<i class="footnote">That is, Moses. (Comp. Num. 12:7.)—The Hebrew text has the words שהורתנו לנאמן בית, which seem to be incorrect; לנאמן בית is probably to be altered into על ידי נאמן בית.</i> 
  הן אתה קצפת ונחטא But now13<i class="footnote">At the time, when this prayer is uttered, during the exile of the Israelites.</i> Thou art wroth, for we have sinned, or Behold Thou wast angry,14<i class="footnote">At various times, when the Israelites were punished for their sins; as is for example pointed out in the book of Judges.</i> for we had sinned.
  בהם <i>Through them,</i>15<i class="footnote">A. V., In those is continuance.—The words לעולם הספירות הקצף are corrupt; they must contain the explanation of עולם, since that of בהם is given before in the words בעבור הצדיקים through the righteous. If עולם were explained by always, the most important part of the sentence, the removing of the anger, is left to the reader to supply; it is, therefore, probable that I. E. renders עולם disappearance from עלם to conceal; and the Hebrew text is to be altered into עולם י הפרת הקצף or עולם.עולם י סתירת הקצף means the disappearance of the wrath.</i> that is, through the righteous men. עולם The disappearance of the wrath.
  ונושע <i>And we were saved.</i>15a<i class="footnote">A. V., And we shall be saved.</i> It is the imperfect.16<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 1:21, Note 43.</i>
  
  Verse 5
  
  ונהי כטמא כלנו But now we are all as an unclean thing.
  עדים <i>Filthy rags</i>. It is derived from עַד spoil (Gen. 49:47); for the garment of the spoil is usually stained with blood.
  וַנָּבֶל <i>And we fade away.</i> The radical נ and the prefix of the first person plural are contracted into one letter. The root of the word is נבל. Comp. נבלת, fading (1:30). There is no other word similar to it in form.16<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on 1:21, Note 43.</i>
  
  Verse 6
  
  מתעורר <i>That stirreth up himself.</i> It is an adjective.17<i class="footnote">Such a contraction is usually indicated by a Dagesh in the letter next to the one omitted; here the ב should have a Dagesh (וַנַּבֶּל Hiphil of נבל). The form can, however, be considered as regular if derived from בול; verbs פ״נ and ע״ו interchange sometimes; comp. סוך and נסך to anoint.</i>
  להחזיק <i>To take hold</i> with his hand.18<i class="footnote">להחזיק is Hiphil, and therefore a transitive verb, governing the accusative; I. E. supplies therefore ידו; lit. to cause his hand to be strong in Thee.</i>
  ותמוגנו <i>And hast consumed us.</i> Comp. נמנו they melt (Ex. 15:15)
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>But now</i> do unto us according to Thy will; there is no strength in us; for we are like clay, etc.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Be not wroth very sore</i>, for Thou hast been very angry. 
  <i>We are all Thy people</i> now.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>The holy cities</i>, etc. Supply הבט, see from the preceding verse. Look at the towns which Thou hast sanctified with Thy name, and which are now desolate.
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>Our holy and our beautiful house.</i> The temple.
  <i>Where our fathers praised Thee</i> through the mouth of the Levites, the singers.19<i class="footnote">I. E. takes the verb הללוך literally: to praise, <i>i.e.,</i> by singing, and this was done in the temple by the Levites. In a more general sense it is paraphrased in Targum Jonathan: דפלחו קדמך אבהתנא where our ancestors worshipped Thee.</i>
  
  Verse 11
  
  תחשה <i>Wilt Thou hold Thy peace?</i> Wilt Thou not hasten to save us.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  <i>I was</i>1<i class="footnote">A. V., I am sought.</i> <i>sought</i>, etc. This is the reply of God to the prayer of the Israelites; He says: Your fathers have provoked me, but ‘ I was sought,’ that is, I offered myself to be found whenever they were in trouble, to them that asked me not, that I should be accessible to them. 
  <i>I said</i>, ‘ <i>Behold me</i>, <i>behold me</i>,’ repeatedly through the prophets.2<i class="footnote">I. E. adds through the prophets, because the Lord revealed Himself directly to the whole nation only once, namely, on Mount Sinai.</i> 
  <i>That was not called by my name</i> in those days, but by the name of Baal.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>I have spread out my hands,</i> etc. According to R. Moses Hakkohen, the preceding verse refers to all nations, as if God said, Even to nations that are not called by my name, I was accessible, but as regards my people I have spread my hands to receive them.
  הדרך לא טוב <i>In a way that is not good.</i> Supply דרך way before לא טוב not good;3<i class="footnote">לא טוב is the genitive governed by דרך, which must be supplied; because הדרך cannot govern the genitive on account of the definite article. Comp. I. E. on 30:20.</i> comp. טוב ורע עץ הדעת דעת═עץ הדעת  טוב ורע the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9)
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>To my face</i>. Like a servant that provokes his master while in his presence.
  <i>In gardens</i> of idolatry.
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>That sit among the graves</i>, to inquire of the dead, and to listen to the spirits.
  ובנצורים <i>And in ruins.</i>4<i class="footnote">A. V., In the monuments. Besieged.</i>. Comp. נצורה waste (1:8). 
  <i>Which eat</i>, etc. All this is done in order to provoke me.
  וטרק <i>And broth.</i> Its meaning is well known; comp. Judg. 6:20. The Ketib5<i class="footnote">See ix. Note 2.</i> is ופרק; the two words, however, are the same in meaning.
  
  Verse 5
  
  <i>Which say.</i> They, the unclean, say to the others, that have never eaten swine’s meat, etc. 
  גשה אליך═קרב אליך <i>Stand by thyself.</i> Lit. Go nearer to thyself.
  קדשתיך <i>I am holier than thou.</i> It is an intransitive verb; as to the suffix,6<i class="footnote">The suffix of the verb is generally the same as the corresponding pronoun in the accusative, and should therefore be joined only to transitive verbs; but exceptionally it is a substitute for a pronoun and a preposition, and can in that case be joined to a neuter verb, as <i>e.g.,</i> </i> קרשתיך I am holier than thou. comp. יצאוני have gone out of me (Jer. x 20); similarly קדשתיך has the same meaning as קדשתי ממך I am holy, more than thou.
  אלה עשן באפי These put7<i class="footnote">A. V., These are.</i> smoke in my nose.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>Behold it is written before me</i>. This evil which they have done, is, as it were, written before me; I have not forgotten it.
  
  Verse 7
  
  <i>Your iniquities</i>, etc. You have added sins to the sins of your forefathers. <i>I measured their former work into their bosom</i>. Your fathers went into exile for their idolatry.
  
  Verse 8
  
  <i>Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine,</i> etc. Although they have sinned, it will, nevertheless, be in those days as when <i>the new wine is found in the cluster and one saith</i> to the other <i>do not destroy it</i>, <i>for a blessing is in it.</i> I shall do the same for the sake of my servants, the righteous men of Israel, during their exile; namely, I shall not utterly destroy them.
  
  Verse 9
  
  <i>And I will bring forth out of Jacob</i>, of those that had gone into exile, of the righteous among them: who deserve to be called mine elect.
  
  Verse 10
  
  עמק עכור <i>The valley of Achor.</i> This valley is near Jerusalem; comp. And the valley of Achor for a door of hope (Hos. 2:15). Others render it, Valley of trouble,8<i class="footnote">That is, the valley, in which the Israelites have brought trouble upon themselves through their bad actions. I. E., justly rejects this explanation, because the words עמק עכור are probably like השרון in the first part of the verse, a proper name, without any reference to trouble or sin.</i> comparing it with עכר that troublest (1 Kings 18:17). The latter is a forced explanation. 
  <i>For my people that sought me.</i> For He will remember those that seek another besides Him.
  
  Verse 11
  
  הַשְׁכֵחִים <i>That forget</i>, (lit., that are forgetful). It is an adjective,9<i class="footnote">I. E. explains שְׁכֵהִים to be an adjective, although it governs an accusative, since the participle is שֹׁכְחִים; or he means by שם תאר the participle, and שְׁכֵחִים would in that case be another form of the participle, that could be compared with יראים, the only form of the participle Kal of ירא, to fear.</i> similar in form to יְרֵאִים afraid (1 Sam. 23:3).
  לגד <i>For the host of the heavens</i>.10<i class="footnote">A. V., That troop.</i> R. Moses Hakkohen says, that גד means the planet Jupiter which forebodes only good things;11<i class="footnote">According to the belief of Eastern people; In Arabic, Jupiter is called السعد الاكبر the greatest fortune.</i> that in Arabic the word has the same meaning;12<i class="footnote">جَدٌ Felicitas.</i> but that בגל (Gen. 30:11) is different from it.13<i class="footnote">I. E. renders בגד a troop comes, and refers it to the troop of five children, which Leah then had.</i>
  למני <i>For Meni</i>.14<i class="footnote">A. V., That number.</i> According to some מני (lit., number) is the name of the Zodiac, because each of its constellations has a certain number of stars. R. Moses Hakkohen says that מני is the name of one star.15<i class="footnote">R. Moses Hakkohen mentions no name of that star. Gesenius is of opinion that מני is Venus; others compare it with <i>μήvη</i> the moon.</i>
  ממסך <i>Drink offering.</i> Comp., מסכה she hath mingled (Prov. 9:2)
  
  Verse 12
  
  ומניתי <i>And I will number</i>. The repetition of the same root is considered as an elegance in Hebrew. Comp. גד גדוד עודנו Gad, a troop shall overcome him (Gen. 49:19); דן ידין Dan shall judge (ibid. 16). Thus the verb ומניתי is used because of מני at the end  of the preceding verse; it means I shall number; comp. מונה that telleth (Jer. 33:13)
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>My servants,</i> that return to Zion. 
  <i>But ye</i> others, that do not serve the Lord, will remain in their miseries.
  
  Verse 14
  
  תְּיֵילִילוּ <i>Ye shall howl.</i> The regular form of the word would be 16<i class="footnote">Or תֵּילִילוּ after the form הֵילִילוּ (23:1); the root is ילל.</i>תַּיְלִילוּ; comp., יַיְשִׁירוּ they look straight (Prov. 4:25). It is similar in form to יְיֵדָע he knoweth; (Ps. 138:6), and יְיֵטִיב he doth good (Job 24:21)
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>And ye shall leave your name for a curse.</i> Comp.17<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words ואלה כמו; and a curse, comp. ואלה is either the explanation of לשבועה and must be altered into לאלה, or it is the remnant of a quotation, and must in that case be preceded by כמו.</i> The Lord make thee a curse and an oath (Num. 5:21); The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab (Jer. 29:22). <i>The Lord God shall slay thee.</i> Thus they will say to each other.18<i class="footnote">This explanation is given on account of the change of the number; the suffix in שמכם is plural, while that of והמיתך is singular. In Targum Jonathan it is rendered, וימיתכון and shall kill you.</i> 
  <i>Another name.</i> That is, a better name.
  
  Verse 16
  
  המתברך <i>He who blesseth himself.</i> This word is not like ונברכו and shall be blessed (Gen. 18:18); there is a difference between the two words.19<i class="footnote">ונברכו is the passive (Niphal), they shall be blessed; that is, they shall receive the blessing from the Almighty; מתברך is reflective (Hithpael): he who blesses himself; that is, he who believes himself blessed or wishes himself to be blessed, as I. E. himself explains below.</i> 
  באלהי אמן In the God whom all the world will acknowledge to be the true God, and that there is none besides Him.20<i class="footnote">A. V., In the God of truth.</i> אמן is an adjective 20a<i class="footnote">I. E. seems to overlook that the adjective אמן demands the absolute state before it, not the construct. If, however, אמן is referred by him to the, people, to the faithful, and not to God, the construct state would be explained hereby, but the use of the singular אמן instead of the plural, would still require some explanation.</i> of the same root as אמונה truth (25:1); יתברך ונו׳ <i>Shall bless himself,</i> etc. He shall thankfully acknowledge that this21<i class="footnote">That God is recognised by all people as the Lord of the universe.</i> is true, or wish and pray that it may become true. 
  <i>Because the former troubles</i>, etc., <i>are hid from mine eyes</i>. The troubles which have befallen the righteous, the servants of the Lord, have been intensified by the circumstance that the wicked used to mock at the pious and their piety, when the latter were afflicted with calamities21a<i class="footnote">I. E. perhaps explains here the expression from mine eyes to mean from the eyes of my pious people who perceive all the insults and mocking of the wicked.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  בי הנני בורא שמים חדשים וגו׳ <i>For behold, I create new heavens</i>, etc. Some explain this verse thus: Behold, it will be as if I created, etc.22<i class="footnote">The heavens are considered as not subject to a material change; it was therefore found necessary to explain the seeming contradiction of this opinion, contained in the prediction of the creation of new heavens. Some explain that there will not be a real, but only an apparent creation of new heavens.</i> The grammarian, R. Jehudah, says, that by the new heavens the creatures in heaven and earth are meant.23<i class="footnote">According to this opinion, the totality of the heavens is unchangeable, and that will not be renewed, but the individual creatures in them do not share the same privilege; the new creation refers to them.</i> The right explanation, however, is, that by heavens the atmosphere over the earth is meant, and the meaning of the whole sentence is: God will create a new good atmosphere, that people will be healthy and enjoy a long life; He will likewise increase the productive power of the earth, that it will be as though it were new. Those that refer the passage to the future life of man, are wrong; for it cannot thus agree with the context of the chapter, since in the future life there is neither eating nor drinking, as our sages have taught us,23a<i class="footnote">Comp. Talmud Babli, Berachoth p. 17.</i> and this idea concerning the future life is the only true one. 
  <i>The former</i>. The former troubles, as some quite correctly explain; others supply heaven and earth; but there is no sense in their explanation, as may be proved from the next verse.24<i class="footnote">The opposite of the former things, which shall not be remembered, is described in the next verse by גילה, rejoicing, and משוש,joy. The former things are therefore the former troubles and sufferings.</i>
  
  Verse 18
  
  עדי עד <i>Long years</i>.25<i class="footnote">A. V., For ever.</i> For at last man dies 25a<i class="footnote">And therefore he cannot rejoice for ever, and עדי עד in this verse signifies only a long space of time.</i> (comp. vers. 20). הנני בורא את ירושלים <i>Behold</i>, <i>I make</i>26<i class="footnote">A. V., I create.</i> <i>Jerusalem.</i> From this passage it can be proved that the word ברא does not mean to create (to produce from non-existence into existence) but to form, to renew.
  
  Verse 19
  
  <i>The voice of weeping</i> for one that is slain, or dies too early, as explained in the next verse.
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>There shall be no more</i>, etc. This verse shows, that those who will return to Zion will enjoy a long life. The old man will complete his days, that is, the days which the natural constitution of man permits him to live; he will live as long as the former generations from Adam to Noah lived; the same is the case with עולל═עול ימים infant of days.27<i class="footnote">The infant will likewise complete his days; the time of infancy will be prolonged in the same proportion.</i> ימות וגו׳ כי הנער בן טאה שנה.28<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words והמת מת, which do not seem to harmonise with the context; from the words which follow, והוא בן מאה שנה, it may be inferred that the word נער, or the whole phrase כי הנער בן מאה שנה, is to be explained, and that the words והמת מת have to be replaced by הנער, or by the whole phrase נער .כי הנער בן מאה שנה is the period of life next to עול ימים.</i> <i>For the young man</i>29<i class="footnote">A. V., The child.</i> <i>shall die one hundred years old</i>, etc. The sinner who dies a hundred years old, will be cursed; for if he lived less than that, his infancy will plead for him, his mental faculties not yet being fully developed; but being a hundred years old he is a young man, and being then a sinner, he is cursed.30<i class="footnote">According to Jewish law the age of responsibility of man for his actions begins with the completion of the thirteenth year. Comp. בן שלש עשרה למצות (Aboth. 5:24).</i> We learn from this verse that the world will at last be again as it was at the beginning.31<i class="footnote">That the life of man will equal in length that of the first generations from Adam to Noah, that is, the length of about a thousand years.</i>
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>And they shall build houses</i>, etc. That is, they will be in safety, for there will be no enemy, as explained in the next verse; or, they will build houses, and dwell therein for a long time, while those that die in war are not so happy.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>As the days of the tree</i> that lives for a long time, as the Carob32<i class="footnote">Comp. Targ. Jonath.: כיומי אילן חייא, as the days of the tree of life; this refers, perhaps, likewise, to the carob tree, which is called the tree of life, on account of its longevity, its evergreen leaves, or its abundance of nutritious food.</i> and similar trees. 
  <i>And mine elect shall outlive the work of their hands</i>. Many works of man retain still their new appearance, while man has already become old, as <i>e.g.</i> a building, a book. The pronoun their refers to mine elect, the subject of the sentence.
  
  Verse 23
  
  <i>Nor bring forth for trouble</i>, etc. Their children will not die, for God has blessed the parents, and has blessed the children to remain with them.
  
  Verse 24
  
  טרם I think that it means yet, and with the preposition ב before.33<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Ex. 9:30, where he refutes the opinion of Rashi, that לא ═ טרם not, and on Ex. 10:7, where he explains הטרם תדע, dost thou yet wish to know.</i> The meaning of the passage is: I shall readily give them all that they shall ask of me.
  
  Verse 25
  
  <i>The wolf and the lamb shall feed together</i>. This is a figurative expression for peace will be established. Many imagine this to be done in such a way, that God will deprive the wolf of its natural voracity, as indicated by the words, And the lion shall eat straw like the bullock. 
  <i>And dust shall be the serpent’s meat,</i> as is its nature; and it will eat nothing else. The meaning of this passage is: it will do no harm. 
  <i>In all my holy mountain</i>. All these prophecies refer only to Palestine, for it is distinctly said, in all my holy mountain.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  The prophet, in this chapter, again rebukes the wicked people.
  <i>The heaven is my throne</i>. We know that the glory of the Lord filleth heaven and earth; but by the words the heaven is my throne the prophet indicates, that the destinies of the whole world come from above, as it were by decrees, which the king, sitting on his throne, sends forth.1<i class="footnote">As to the meaning of גזרהִ decree comp. I. E. on 16:13, and Note 26.</i> 
  <i>The earth is my footstool</i>. The earth is in my power, is mine. Since all is mine, <i>Where is a house,</i> etc., 
  and <i>where is a place</i>, etc. Repetition of the same idea.
  
  Verse 2
  
  <i>For all</i>, etc. This is a second reason, why all is in the power of God, why all is His; namely, that throne and that footstool are made by me.
  ויהיו כל אלה <i>And all those things have been</i>, all those things, which my hand has made. 
  <i>But to this man will I look,</i> etc. Although heaven is my throne, yet will I look to the poor and to him that is of a contrite spirit. <i>I will look,</i> I will direct my eye, my attention to him; it is the opposite of I will hide my face from you (1:15)
  
  Verse 3
  
  <i>He that killeth an ox,</i> etc. I look to him that trembleth at my word, not to those that sacrifice burnt offerings, and at the same time act badly; for he that killeth an ox, מכה איש is as guilty as if he slew a man; it is considered as murder on his part, because the offering is not brought properly; or is guilty as if he struck a man, not killing, but hurting and wounding him;2<i class="footnote">Comp. והכה איש את רעהו וגו׳, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not. Ex. 21:18.</i> 
  He that sacrificeth a lamb before me, is guilty, ערף כלב as if he killed a dog; 
  עֹרֵף֭ with the accent on the last syllable is participle Kal of ערף to cut off the neck; comp. וערפו and they shall strike off the neck (Deut. 21:4); when it has the accent on the last syllable but one (עׁ֭רֶף neck) it is a noun3<i class="footnote">Some editions of the Hebrew text have the words מלעיל הנו שם וכאשר הוא שם הוא; but either הוא שם or הנו שם is superfluous.</i>; 
  he that offereth an oblation is guilty דם חזיר as if he offered the swine’s blood;
  מזכיר לבונה <i>he that burneth incense</i>—comp. 4<i class="footnote">In his commentary on Leviticus 2:2, I. E. explains אזכרה memorial, that part of the offering which is to serve as a memorial of it before the Lord; he mentions, however, that many explain it, the part which was burnt upon the altar, and this opinion he seems to have adopted ultimately. Comp. I. E. on Hosea, 14:8.</i>אזכרה incense (Lev. 2:2)—isguilty, מברך און as if he blessed iniquity.5<i class="footnote">A. V., As if he blessed an idol.</i>
  גם המה <i>Even they</i>, namely, your forefathers; the word אבותיכם is to be supplied.6<i class="footnote">אבותיהם of the Hebrew text is to be altered into אבותיכם, as may be inferred from the words which follow. It is difficult to find any reason why this word should be supplied, since המה, they refers to the sinners mentioned before in the same verse. Better and more natural is the explanation of Rashi, to connect this part of the verse with the following: ,גם אני וגו׳ ,גם המה וגו׳ <i>Yea they have</i> chosen, etc. </i>
  
  Verse 4
  
  <i>I also</i> will choose, etc. בתעלוליהם <i>Their charges.</i>7<i class="footnote">A. V., Their delusions. Occasions.</i>7<i class="footnote">A. V., Their delusions. Occasions.</i> Comp. עלילות charges (Deut. 22:17), their charges are the charges brought against them. It may also be rendered their delusions; comp. ויתעללו and they abused (Judg. 19:25); התעולל he mocked (1 Sam. 6:6).8<i class="footnote">A. V., He had wrought wonderfully.</i>
  מגורתם <i>Their fears</i>. Comp. ויגר and was afraid (Num. 22:3)
  
  Verse 5
  
  מנדיכם <i>That cast you out.</i> Comp. ינדוהו they chase him (Job 18:18). Some render it9<i class="footnote">Comp. the second explanation of Rashi, and the Rabbinical expression, חרם ═ נדוי, doom, excommunication.</i> those in whose eyes you are considered as doomed.
  Your brethren is added, because this circumstance, that they are brethren, gives greater force to the offence. 
  יכבד ײ R. Moses Hakkohen says, that it means, the Lord is heavy; that is, it is difficult to them to remember Him and to keep His commandments; as a proof of the correctness of this explanation he adds, that only the Niphal of כבד is found in the meaning of to be honoured, as <i>e.g.</i> נכבדת Thou art glorified (26:15); but he did not think of יִבְבְּדוּ they are honoured, which is the opposite of יצערו they are little (Job 14:21). According to this explanation the sense of the verse is clear.10<i class="footnote">Comp. Kimchi ad locum: The wicked say to those that are anxious to fulfil the word of the Lord, ‘Certainly, the Lord is too hard for us with His commandments,’ but, says the prophet to the good, He will appear in the midst of your rejoicings, and they will be ashamed. This is probably also the explanation of R. Moses Hakkohen, partly quoted by I. E.</i> After יכבד יי the Lord is heavy the word yet must be supplied10a<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words ותחסר מלת זמן, which either mean, and an adverb of time is wanting, as, <i>e. g.,</i> once, yet, or are the corruption of ותחסר מלת עוד, as adopted for the translation.</i>, as if the prophet said, yet a time will come, when we shall see your11<i class="footnote">The good, that tremble at His word, are addressed by the prophet.</i> rejoicing, while they, that cast you out, will be confounded. But I think that12<i class="footnote">These words are added in the translation; the corresponding Hebrew phrase, ולפי דעתי is missing. That he approves of the explanation that follows is clear from the words, In this way there is a connection between this verse and the next.</i> these are the words of your brethren that cast you out, and that the whole verse must be explained thus: Your brethren say, For my name’s sake let the Lord be honoured [יכבד being derived from כבוד honour (11:10)], we wish it that the Lord be honoured, then we shall see your rejoicing and be ashamed; this is the meaning of the words והם יבשו and they shall be ashamed.13<i class="footnote">According to this explanation this would be one of the very rare instances of the oratio indirecta in Hebrew; the oratio directa would be ואנחנו נבוש, and we shall be ashamed.</i> They say it ironically and mean to indicate, that God will not be able to show His glory. In this way there is a connection between this verse and the next. Those that take these words, not as uttered by your brethren etc., but spoken by God, understand the plural in נראה as pluralis majestatis, like the plural in נעשה let us make (Gen. 1:26), or13a<i class="footnote">ואחיכם of the Hebrew text gives no sense, and must be corrected into ואחרים, and others.</i> refer it to both, to God and the prophet together.
  
  Verse 6
  
  <i>From the city</i>. From Zion.
  <i>From the temple</i> of the Lord, that is, from the temple in Jerusalem, or from the heavens, which are called the holy temple. <i>A voice</i>. The report of their punishment by God, that will spread everywhere. 
  <i>To his enemies.</i> To those that cast you out, etc.
  
  Verse 7
  
  תחיל <i>She travailed.</i> Comp. חיל trembling (Ps. 45:7). <i>Before she travailed she brought forth</i>. This is a figurative expression, indicating, that the Israelites will return to Zion, without any difficulty, like a woman, that bears children without troubles.
  והמליטה זכר <i>She was delivered of a man child.</i> Comp. תְּמַלֵּט she will lay eggs (34:15), though of a different conjugation.14<i class="footnote">המליט is Hiphil, תמלט Piel of מלט.</i>—The Israelites will suddenly come together, without much exertion, from all quarters; it will be as though Zion had conceived and born her children in one day, and that is wonderful.15<i class="footnote">That is unusual, unheard of before; the questions of the prophet are therefore to be answered in the negative.</i>
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  האני אשביר <i>Shall I bring to birth</i>. Comp. משבר בנים "birth of children" (Hos. 13:13). <i>Shall I bring to birth</i> etc. I have the power to do all this,16<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has באלה which seems to be nothing but the כאלה "such things," of preceding verse, and refers to the wonderful events (restoration of Zion) described by the prophet; the reading באלה "with those," can, however, to be defended, and explained to refer to the enemies mentioned ver. 6. The punishment of the enemies would thus be described as the first step towards the restoration of Zion, and the prophet asks, Should be, that has the power to preform the first pat, not be able to do the rest?</i> to bring the woman, as it were, near the birth, and should I not be able to bring force? or should I could cause the whole world to bring forth a children, shut the womb of Zion?
  
  Verse 10
  
  <i>all ye that mourn for her</i> in exile.
  
  Verse 11
  
  <i>With the breast of her consolations</i>. Comp. Thou shalt suck the breast of kings (60:16). A fulness of joy is meant by this expression; for consolations are here the opposite of mournings.17<i class="footnote">תנחמים, in its literal meaning, consolations, suggests the idea of the co-existence of their cause; for when the evil is removed, consolation is no longer required. I. E. therefore remarks that the word תנחמים in this verse is the opposite of mourning, mentioned in the preceding verse, and signifies happiness.</i>
  תמצו <i>That you may milk out.</i> Comp. מיץ the churning (Prov. 30:33), though of a different root.17a<i class="footnote">The root of תמצו is מצץ, that of מיץ is מוץ.</i> 
  מזיז R. Jonathan b. Uziel18<i class="footnote">The author of the Chaldæan translation of the books of the Prophets; the translation is called after his name, Targum Jonathan.</i> translates it מחמד from the best; R. Moses Hakkohen compares it with וזיז שדי the wild beasts of the field (Ps. 1. 11); but this explanation is forced. I explain the word to be hap. leg.19<i class="footnote">I. E. calls an expression hap. leg., even if it occurs again in Scripture, if not found in the same or a cognate meaning.</i>
  
  Verse 12
  
  <i>I shall extend to Zion peace like a river,</i> etc. 20<i class="footnote">I. E. read חיל גוים instead of כבוד הגוים of our editions of the Bible; both mean the same. Comp. Hebr. Bib. cum varietate lect., ed. Doederlein.</i>חיל means property; comp. החיל הזה this wealth (Deut. 8:17). 
  <i>Ye shall be borne on her sides,</i> when returning from exile.
  תשעשעו <i>Ye will play.</i> Comp. ושעשע and shall play (11:8). The ע has a short Kamez because of the pause.21<i class="footnote">The regular form would be ע ,תְּשָׁעְשְׁעוּ being a guttural, it should receive the compound Sheva (ֳ) instead of the simple; but for the Sheva of the next letter it changes the compound Sheva into the short Kamez; the pause changes the Sheva of the ש into a vowel (ָ), and restores, therefore, the compound Sheva under ע. It would be more correct to say that the compound Sheva owes its origin to the guttural character of the letter, and that the Kamez under ש is the proper sign of the pause. The absence of any remark concerning the difference between וְשִׁעֲשַׁע and תְּשָׁעֳשָׁעוּ (the one being Piel, the other Pual), is rather suspicious, and leads to the suggestion that I. E. identified תְּשָׁעֳשָׁעוּ with תְּשַׁעֲשָׁעוּ, and explains, but wrongly, the change of ֲ into ֳ, as caused by the pause.</i>
  
  Verse 13
  
  <i>As one whom his mother comforteth.</i> Every woman has compassion upon her child.22<i class="footnote">And therefore the figure is here used of the comfort given by the mother to the crying child, when punished by the father.</i>
  
  Verse 14
  
  <i>Your heart</i> The soul is meant, which has its principal seat in the heart.23<i class="footnote">Comp. I. E. on Gen. 1:1, where more instances of similar kinds of metonymy are given.</i> 
  <i>And your bones</i>. The principal constituents of the human frame.24<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has the words כי הם המוסדות (lit., for they are the fundamental parts), which, on account of the plural form, cannot be meant as an explanation of לבבכם, but as that of עצמותיכם; the words רמז לגוף; the body is meant, must perhaps be supplied together with ועצמותיכם, for the phrase כי הם המוסרות contains the reason for some preceding explanation.</i>
  וזעם <i>And He will be indignant</i>.25<i class="footnote">A. V., And His indignation.</i> It is a verb; it has the accent on the last syllable,26<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has ולעולם, which is contrasted with מלעיל, the accent is on the last syllable but one; there is no sense in ולעולם; it must be altered into מלרע, the accent is on the last syllable.</i> and a Kamez in the first, while the noun זעם has the accent on the last syllable but one, and in both syllables a Pathah (זַעַם)
  
  Verse 15
  
  <i>With fire,</i> to kindle the anger. This figure signifies those divine decrees that come suddenly. 
  <i>And with his chariots like a whirlwind.</i> A figurative expression.
  להשיב בחמה אפו <i>To render His anger with fury.</i> שוב אף or שוב חרון construed with מ has a good sense, with ב a bad one.27<i class="footnote">Here it is constructed with neither, but בהם against them can easily be supplied from the context. The Hebrew text has the words דבק עם מ״ם תשובת חרון או; the word או, or, is either superfluous or must be followed by אף, anger, or a similar expression.</i>
  
  Verse 16
  
  נשפט <i>He will plead.</i> It is a figurative expression; meaning he will go with them to judgment;28<i class="footnote">The Niphal has sometimes the meaning of reciprocity, as נלחם, to fight.</i> or it is used here in an active sense like נשבע he swore (62:8).29<i class="footnote">נשפט would in that case be the same as שפט, he will judge.</i>
  
  Verse 17
  
  <i>That sanctify themselves,</i> for idolatry. 
  המתטהרים═המטהרים. <i>That purify themselves.</i> The ת of the Hithpael is compensated for by the Dagesh in ט.
  <i>In the gardens.</i> In the grovea.30<i class="footnote">That are prepared for idolatry; גנות is explained by אשרות, to indicate that gardens of trees are meant here, not kitchen gardens, as remarked by Rashi.</i>
  אחת <i>One.</i> The feminine form agrees with 31<i class="footnote">אשרה is feminine according to its form, but masculine according to its meaning, since every אשרה is a tree, in Hebrew, עץ, and this noun is masculine; in the phrase כל אשר העץ of the Hebrew text, the ה of אשרה has been wrongly separated from it and joined with עץ.</i>31<i class="footnote">אשרה is feminine according to its form, but masculine according to its meaning, since every אשרה is a tree, in Hebrew, עץ, and this noun is masculine; in the phrase כל אשר העץ of the Hebrew text, the ה of אשרה has been wrongly separated from it and joined with עץ.</i>אשרה grove, while the masculine form אחד of the Ketib refers to עץ tree; for every grove consists of trees. 
  <i>In the midst.</i> They surround the tree from all sides; or it is in the midst of the garden.
  <i>Eating swine’s meat.</i> They sanctify themselves, but their bodies are full of uncleanliness.
  
  Verse 18
  
  ואנכי מעשיהם ומחשבתיהם <i>And I am their works and their thoughts</i>.32<i class="footnote">A. V., For I know their works and their thoughts.</i> It has the same meaning as the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed (Ps. 2:2),
  באה <i>The time hath come.</i>33<i class="footnote">A. V., It shall come.</i> Supply עת time. The meaning of the whole verse is, When they intend to rebel against me, then the time is come to assemble all nations round Jerusalem, etc. 
  <i>And see my glory.</i> I shall punish them till they will declare my glory to all people. This passage refers to the war of Gog and Magog.34<i class="footnote">Comp. c. 24:14, note 18.</i>
  
  Verse 19
  
  אות <i>A sign</i> of reproach, as <i>e.g.,</i> the loss of one eye;35<i class="footnote">The Hebrew text has בחסרון עי״ן, with omission of ע, instead of כחסרון עין. Comp. 1 Sam. 11:2.</i> it will be some new thing, the like of which has never appeared before. 
  <i>Those that escape.</i> The greater part will die, as is stated distinctly. Comp. Ez. 38:21, 22; 39:11 sqq.; and Zec. 14:12, 13
  
  Verse 20
  
  <i>To the Lord.</i> To the glory of the Lord, whom they will fear.
  ברכב <i>In chariots of iron.</i>36<i class="footnote">No reason is given why רכב should signify here chariots of iron and not chariots; perhaps he explains צבים wooden waggons, and therefore רכב iron chariots.</i>
  בצבים <i>In waggons.</i>37<i class="footnote">A. V., In litters.</i> Comp. עגלת צב covered waggons (Num. 7:3).
  ובכרכרות <i>And upon dromedaries</i>.38<i class="footnote">A. V., And upon swift beasts.</i> Comp. כר dromedary (16:1). A noble species of camel. כרכרות is a reduplication of כר. 
  <i>As the children of Israel,</i> etc. As the Israelites used to bring the oblation in a clean vessel, that it should not be defiled.
  
  Verse 21
  
  <i>Also of them</i> whom they will bring,39<i class="footnote">That is, of the Israelites, whom the heathen people will bring to Jerusalem, who, therefore, will include in their number Levites and priests.</i> I shall take some to be priests and Levites before me.
  
  Verse 22
  
  <i>The new heavens</i>. I have already explained this expression (65:17).
  עמדים <i>Shall remain,</i> shall not be destroyed, as their predecessors have been. <i>Before me.</i> Before God, who is the first, cause of all existing things.40<i class="footnote">All things are kept in existence by the will of God, they are therefore said to stand before the Lord, as if to receive from Him the power of existence.</i> 
  <i>And your name</i> shall remain, so that it will not be blotted out; or,41<i class="footnote">The words שלא ימחה after שמכם are superfluous. According to the second explanation שם has here the meaning substance; comp. I. E. on Ruth 3:16.</i> it has the same meaning as your seed, and is a mere repetition of the same idea. Comp. To Jacob and to Israel (Num. 23:23)
  
  Verse 23
  
  מדי חדש <i>Whenever new moon will be</i>.42<i class="footnote">A. V., From one new moon to another. Your daily tasks.</i> מדי has nearly the same meaning as בכל עת whenever (Est. 5:13). Comp. מדי עברו whenever he passed (2 Kings 4:8). 
  חדש בחדשו a new moon on the day appointed for it. Comp. דבר יום ביומו the task of every day on the day appointed for it (Ex. 5:13). From this verse the ancients derived that the wicked had to suffer the future punishment for twelve months;42a<i class="footnote">See Midrash Yalkut ad locum.</i> they explain the word מדי to signify one year.43<i class="footnote">This seems to be I. E.’s interpretation of the passage quoted from the Midrash; but this explanation of מרי is not found there.</i> The meaning of מדי שבת בשבתו I have explained in my commentary on the chapter concerning the seven weeks.43a<i class="footnote">Lev. 23:9-22, or <i>ib.</i> 25:1-13. The words מדי שבת בשבתו are explained in neither of the two passages. I. E. is perhaps of opinion that the expression שבת, used here by the prophet, includes also the festivals, and he refers therefore to his remark on Lev. 23:11, in which he proves that the word שבת in the phrase ממחרת השבת refers to the first day of Passover.</i>
  
  Verse 24
  
  <i>And look</i> round Jerusalem, where Topheth is; from this verse all the learned44<i class="footnote">See Rashi, Kimchi, and Midrash Yalkut ad locum.</i> gather that there will be a day of judgment in Jerusalem. <i>Neither shall their fire be quenched</i>. Many discover here an allusion to the fact, that the soul, when it leaves the body, remains within the sphere of fire, if it does not deserve to join the angels of the Lord. The ancients said, that this would take place after the resurrection of the dead, and supported this opinion by a reference to Daniel (12:12), who asserts, that all the wicked, when called to life again, will be to an everlasting abhorring. All this is quite true.45<i class="footnote">By this remark I. E. indicates that he does not think that the prophet intended to express these opinions in this verse, but that he has nothing to say against them. Comp. I. E. on 51:6.</i>
  דראון <i>Abhorring</i>. According to some, it is composed of two words, די דאון much abhorring; as to דאון, comp. מוראה filthy (Zeph. 3:1); but this explanation is not admissible because of לדראון (Dan. 12:2).46<i class="footnote">I. E. fails to prove why it should be more difficult to explain דראון in Daniel as equivalent to די ראון, than the same word used here by Isaiah. In his commentary on Daniel he only states that the word is not a compound, but the statement is not supported by any argument. The remark is perhaps based on the change of the Zere in דֵּרָאוֹן into Hirek in the construct state ,דִּרְאוֹן, since דֵּי═דֵ is the form of the construct state, and is not affected any further by the construct state of the succeeding word.</i>
  END OF THE BOOK OF ISAIAH THE PROPHET.
  
  Translators Foreword
  
  TOLEDO, once celebrated for the manufacture of swords, which made its name familiar far and wide in every battle-field, was no less famed for the production of quite a different kind of polished and sharp-edged weapons, which it once sent forth from its schools and universities, and which did good service in the arena of science and literature. Toledo, like a great many other cities in Spain which contributed to the progress of science in the Middle Ages, owed the origin and prosperity of its learned institutions chiefly to the Moorish invasion of the Peninsula in 711. The rulers of the half-civilised Arabs, however warlike, were nevertheless not averse from luxury and refinement; under their sway trade and industry prospered, and science and literature awoke to a new life. Spain is said to have possessed in that period not less than seventeen universities and seventy great libraries. Mathematics, astronomy, medicine, chemistry, philosophy, and philology, were the subjects most in favour among the Arabs; the Jews, with their inherent cosmopolitan principles and adaptive faculties, embraced these studies with all vigour and zeal, and, as regards Europe, were to some extent the importers and interpreters of Arabian learning. One of them, neither the last nor the least, was Rabbi Abraham, the son of Meir Ibn Ezra,1<i class="footnote">Ibn Ezra is the family name of our author, as he informs us himself in the introductory lines to his Commentary on Ecclesiastes. , בן מאיר נקרא, מכונה בן עזרא “called the son of Meir, surnamed Ibn Ezra.” בנו עזרא בן עזרא (Introd. to Comment. on Job; Comp. בנו בעור Num. xxiv. 3) are the Hebrew forms of the Arabic إِبْن (Ibnu, or Ibn), which is generally retained by Hebrew authors, either written in full, אבן, or abbreviated, ן׳. Some read it with a Hirek under א, and a Dagesh in ב (Iben, or Ibn) ; others, without the Dagesh, and with Segol or Pathah under א (Aben or Eben). See Elias Levita, Tishbi, <i>sub voce</i> אבן, and Geiger, Moses ben Maimon, Note 9. The latter deduces from the following line, לְאַבְרָהָם בְּנוֹ מֵאִיר סְפָרָדִי אבֶן עֶזְרָא, “of Abraham, the son of Meir, of Spain, Ibn Ezra,” (Yesod Mora, Introd.), that our author pronounced his name, Aben Ezra, with Chateph-Pathah (–ֲ) because the metre requires a Sheva under א but the proof is not conclusive; for, in the first place, Chateph-Segol would certainly have had the preference, on account of the succeeding Segol; secondly, the Arabic (אבן), or a new Hebrew form, (אֱבֶן or אֲבֶן), instead of the Biblical בֶּן and בְּנוֹ, in a Hebrew poem, cannot be the original word, coming from the same author who wrote the Introduction to Safa Berurah and the Commentary on Ecclesiastes v. 1. Either the whole poem is spurious, or אבן is a corruption of בּנו. In the latter form, the same line is found in the Introduction to the Comment. on Job.</i> the Wise 2<i class="footnote">החכם, “the Wise,” is the title generally given as a mark of distinction in science, while גאון indicates distinction in Talmudical knowledge.</i>,(החכם) of whom Zunz says, “hewas equally celebrated aspoet, grammarian, commentator, and theologian. He was an excellent mathematician and astronomer; he possessed very little money, but very much wit; he had an innate aversion to all superficiality.” He was born in Toledo about the end of the eleventh century; the date of his birth can only be given approximately (1092 or 1093).3<i class="footnote">See Note 54. According to Graetz (“Geschichte der Juden,” vi. p. 198,) I. E. was born in 1088.</i> Toledo very probably no longer enjoyed its former prosperity. It had been taken from the Moors, who repeatedly made vain efforts to re-conquer it, and it had more than once to suffer the hardships and miseries of a siege. Such a state of affairs naturally brought poverty and ruin on many families, and Ibn Ezra was certainly not the man to make his fortune under such circumstances; but at all events he passed through the school of hardships, and learned “in his youth to bear the yoke” of misfortune and failure, which pressed hard upon him through his whole life. The opportunity, however, which Providence, at the same time, had given him in the schools of Toledo, and the society of its learned men, for the acquisition of knowledge and the cultivation of the intellect, was not neglected by him. He studied, and studied very hard, as we may gather from the vast amount of learning displayed in his writings. He is said to have been “a genius, who possessed all the learning of his time.”
  Some have named the astronomer and philosopher “R. Abraham ben Hiya,4<i class="footnote">The source of this statement is indicated by Steinschneider, in his Essay on Abraham bar Chijja, Zeitschrift für Mathematik und Physik, xiii. p. 11, note 20. As to the life and works of A. b. Ch., Comp. Abraham bar Chyiah, etc., ed. Herschel Philipowski, London, 1851.</i> as his teacher in mathematics and astronomy, and the Karaite R. Yefeth,5<i class="footnote">Bikkure Haïttim, 5587, p. 50; S. Pinsker Lickute Kadmoniyot, pp. 187, seqq.</i> as his teacher in Hebrew grammar and literature. Whether this statement be literally correct or not, he certainly studied their works, and quoted them in his theological writings.
  He employed his leisure hours in composing liturgical and secular poems, which seem to have been received very favourably; for he speaks in his advanced age with self-satisfaction and pride of these bygone times, saying :—6<i class="footnote">In the satire commencing נדוד הסיר אוני (Kerem Chemed. iv. p. 138).</i>
  לפנים בנעורים
  הכינותי שירים
  בצואר העברים
  נתתים כענקים
  “In former days, when I was young,
  I poured forth my soul in song;
  For fain would I, with poesy's jewels,
  Adorn my own, my Hebrew nation.” 
  Learned men, from far and near, sought his instruction, and were desirous of ascertaining his opinion upon the most varied subjects. Thus R. Joseph, of Narbonne, requested him to explain three problems touching the Jewish calendar; one of the questions was the following: Why is there in the year 1139 an interval of nearly four weeks between the Jewish and the Christian Passover ?7<i class="footnote">According to the Jewish law, Passover is to be celebrated in the spring (בחדש האביב. Ex. xiii. 4, Deut. xvi. 1), after the full moon (15th of Nisan). The same festival is kept by the Christians on the Sunday after the first full moon in the spring (after the 21st March). The difference between the lunar year of the Hebrew calendar, and the solar year is balanced by seven additional months in nineteen years, at intervals of two or three years; so that the difference, at the utmost, would be about three weeks. If the Christian Easter fell four weeks later than the Jewish Passover, that is, after the full moon of Iyar, then Passover could not be in the spring, as the law requires. In the year named, it happened, however, to be so, and Ibn Ezra was asked for an explanation, which he accordingly gave, namely, that the year of the Christian calendar consisted of 365¼ days, while the Jewish calendar computed it more accurately 365 days, In the year 1138, the difference between the 21st of March and the beginning of the spring (תקופת ניסן), according to the Jewish calendar amounted to about seven days ; according to the Jewish computation, the full moon of Nisan was in the spring, while the Christians had to wait for the full moon of Iyar.</i> We hear of his friendly intercourse with the poet R. Moses ben Ezra, (whom some authorities8<i class="footnote">Gavison, in Omer Hashikcha. See Dukes, Moses Ben Ezra, p. 6, note.</i> describe as a relative of our Ibn Ezra,) from a poetical enigma, in which he described a dinner, with its varied pleasures, which they once had enjoyed together.9<i class="footnote">Ginse Oxford, xiv. note 1.</i> To R. Jehudah Hallevi he was no stranger.10<i class="footnote">According to Jochasin, I. E. was the cousin of R. Jehudah Hallevi, their mothers being sisters.</i> In the commentaries of Ibn Ezra many traces of the literary conversations of these two friends are met with; he always evinces some pleasure in reproducing the opinions and words of R. Jehudah Hallevi,11<i class="footnote">Comp. Ex. xx. 1; Dan. ix. 1.</i> but does not tell us whether this feeling is owing to their affinity of mind or kinship. When authentic reports are missing, tradition and imagination step in, and supply the means to fill the gap. Thus we are informed of the fact, that Ibn Ezra was the son-in-law of R. Jehudah Hallevi, and in what manner Providence brought about that happy alliance. The story runs thus : Ibn Ezra, anxious to increase his knowledge by travelling, happened to come to the place in which R. Jehudah Hallevi lived, at a time when the latter had bound himself by a curious vow with regard to the future happiness of his only daughter.12<i class="footnote">R. Jehudah mentions his only daughter in a poem which he composed on his journey to Jerusalem. (Ginse Oxford, p. 45, and Divan of R. Jehudah Hallevi, ed. S. D. Luzzato, Lyck, 1864, No. 9.)For the love of God would I forsake even her that sprang from my loins,The beloved of my soul, though I have none but herAnd I could forget even her son, whom I love like myself,Though nought I have on earth except his memory dear.Oh my child my delight! How could Judah forgetOr from remembrance banish his Judah?</i> When the wife of R. Jehudah, in her anxiety to see her daughter married, had for weeks urged this subject upon her husband day by day; he, driven beyond the bounds of patience, angrily made a vow to marry his daughter to the first young man he met that day in the street. It was on the same day that he met Ibn Ezra. Faithful to his vow, R. Jehudah invited the stranger, whom he did not know, to his house, with the intention of making him his son-in-law. His wife, rather disappointed at seeing the tattered garments of the seemingly low-born and ignorant stranger, opposed the marriage. But R. Jehudah insisted upon the fulfilment of his vow, and began to instruct the stranger, who pretended to be quite ignorant. The pupil made wonderful progress, and the satisfaction of the master gradually reconciled the wife to his hopes and plans. Ibn Ezra was no longer looked upon in the light of a stranger, but as one of the family. One day R. Jehudah tarrying too long in his study, delayed the mid-day meal; his wife, anxious to know the reason of the delay, searched his study, and found a poem, which was nearly finished. It was the hymn for the Sabbath before Purim, beginning with the words, אדון חסדך בל יחדל (“O Lord, let Thy kindness not cease”), each verse commencing with the successive letter of the alphabet; the one, however, beginning with ד was not yet written, and this verse, as the author confessed, had caused the delay. Ibn Ezra looked at the manuscript, made a few suggestions here and there, and without much hesitation wrote down the verse that was wanted.13<i class="footnote">רצה האחד לשמור כפלים · משמרתו ומשמרת חברו שתי ידים · והשני סם בספל המים · שם שם לו: The prayer-book of the Karaites has the following line :—ויי הקדים רפואה טרם יבוא מכה · ותחשב לו ׃ רץ מרדכי לדבר לאסתר המלכה · לאמר למלך הנה עבדי׳ מכינים לו חכה · : (Landshuth, Amude Haabodah, I., p. 76.)</i> The writer was at once recognised by his style, and R. Jehudah exclaimed: “Ibn Ezra, thou art truly a son of help” 14<i class="footnote">This is a pun on the name of Ibn Ezra, the meaning of which is, “son of help,” or “helper.”</i>.(בן עזר) The disguise was broken off, and the marriage took place. R. Jehudah is said to have then described this happy event in the words of Scripture, “I made Abraham rich” אני העשרתי את אברם (Gen. xiv. 23). If, besides the wife he gave him, other treasures are here alluded to, they could not have been in his possession for a long time, as he was in needy circumstances throughout his life.
  In spite of his profound acquirements and widely spread fame, he could not succeed in obtaining an office to secure a comfortable home for himself and his family. In consequence of his uninterrupted studies, he lived so entirely in an ideal world, that he perhaps lost sight of the claims of practical life. Whatever he undertook proved a failure, so that he at last exclaimed:—
  אגיע להצליח ולא אוכל כי עותוני כוכבי שמי
  לו אהיה סוחר בתכריכין לא יגועון אישים בכל ימי
  גלגל ומזלות במעמדם עוו במהלכם למולדתי
  לו יהיו נרות סחורתי לא יאסף שמש עדי מותי
  “I cannot become rich, the fates are against me;
  Were I a dealer in shrouds, no man would ever die.
  Ill-starred was my birth, unpropitious the planets;
  Were I a seller of candles, the sun would never set.”15<i class="footnote">Orient. 1843, Literaturbl. Note 1. Another form of it, in Geiger’s Jüdische Dichtungen, Leipzig, 1856, p. 21.</i>
  He repeatedly refers, in various epigrams, to his want of luck; yet he never allowed himself to be entirely overcome by the grievous pressure of poverty. He knew full well that the treasures which he had received from his parents, and which he was so successfully increasing were of sufficient value to compensate for the want of material wealth. He declares several times in his writings, that the true happiness of the pious is not increased by useless and unstable possessions. “Blind-hearted men,” he says in his Commentary on Genesis (xxv. 34), “think that the possession of riches is a sign of excellency for the righteous, but the example of Elijah proves the contrary.” Hence we do not discover in his works any signs of a downcast spirit, or of weariness of life; but we find him on the contrary always vigorous, lively, full of wit and humour, full of love for his people and for his national literature, full of trust and confidence in the Almighty, fired by an ardent desire continually to improve himself and others. How little desirous he was to meet his end, he showed in the following epigram, refusing the invitation which by a poetical conceit he imagines that his departed friend, R. Jehudah Hallevi, had given him to join him in his heavenly abode :—
  R. Jehudah:—
  ערבה שנתי ואהבתך דודי העירתני ראות צלמך
  כתות זבול בחרו בשירך הן הם שלחוני קרוא בשמך
  בא נא ונשירה ועל עפר נשכב ומה לך לחיות גלמך
  “Though sweet my slumber, my strong love for thee
  Bids me arise and seek thy presence, friend!
  The heavenly angels yearn to hear thy song,
  And ask thee now to join their holy ranks.
  Come, let our spirits chant in unison,
  While in the dust our wearied bodies rest.”
  Ibn Ezra replies :—
  אחי יהודה שוב שכב כי אל מאן לתתי להלוך עמך
  עד אעשה בנים ומטעמים אוכל ולא אטעם במן טעמך
  נעצב אני עלי מותך אך זאת עצב אשר לא אקחה ממך
  “Return, my brother Judah, to thy rest,
  For God permits me not to follow thee.
  A happy lot may still be mine on earth;
  For Heaven’s manna I’m not yet prepared,
  And though my grief be bitter for thy death,
  I cannot go where thou would’st beckon me.”16<i class="footnote">Ginse Oxford, pp. 20, 21.</i>
  After many disappointments and many failures, he at last resolved to leave his birthplace and his native country, in order to see whether a brighter and more genial sun would shine on him in a foreign land.
  He was accompanied on his travels by his son Isaac, of whom Harizi in his Tahkemoni says :—
  ויצחק בנו גם הוא ממקור השיר שאב ועל שירי הבן מזיו האב
  “And also Isaac his son drew from the well-spring of poesy, And in his songs, shine reflected the genius of his father.”a<i class="footnote">a Tahkemoni, III., p. 70, ed. Stern, Wien, 1854.</i>
  In Damascus they seem to have parted; the son settled there, while the father continued his travels. Of his wife we hear nothing; she had probably died before he left his home, and to this bereavement he perhaps alludes in the introductory lines to the eighteenth chapter of Exodus, when he says :—
  נאום אברהם אסיר תקוה אשר פתח עיני יתרו
  עדי הלך חצי לבו וענה הנדוד יתרו
  “Thus says Abraham, trusting in Him
  Who opened the eyes of his mind,
  When his heart’s blood half had been taken away,
  And his spirit by wand’ring was bent.”
  Of his great works none had yet appeared. While we highly admire the industry and perseverance, the productiveness and versatility he exhibited in later years, we cannot forbear from commending the great scholar for that combined modesty and wisdom which induced him to spend the first half of his life in preparing himself for his future career, by collecting and storing up materials, in cultivating carefully the garden of his mind, so that it might at a later period produce the choicest and most precious fruits.
  When he left his country, his steps were probably directed towards that small piece of land which especially at that time—the period of the Crusades—attracted the eyes and the attention of the whole world; to the Holy Land, to that country, which had drawn thither the great poet R. Jehudah Hallevi, the author of the celebrated elegy ציון הלא תשאלי וגו׳ “Zion, wilt thou not ask, etc.” But Ibn Ezra by no means restricted his travels to Palestine. Dr. Zunz, in his Essay on the Geographical Literature of the Jews17<i class="footnote">Translated from the German into English in the Travels of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, ed. A. Asher, vol. ii. p. 250.</i> says concerning his travels: “He visited Rome as early as 1140, and died in that city in 1168. In the intervening time he had been in several other Italian towns, and also in Provence, France, England, Africa, Rhodes, perhaps in Palestine, and according to some authors even in India. This great traveller, who was well versed in literature, an excellent observer of what passed under his eyes and a profound astronomer, has left us in his theological works, and very probably also in the astronomical Reshith Chohkma, important remarks on Egypt, Gadames, Arabia, Palestine, Persia and India; the tables which he computed in Narbonne and in Lucca, also contain statements of the situation of cities, etc. The commentary on Daniel is particularly rich in geographical information.”
  The places which Ibn Ezra visited in his travels, are occasionally mentioned by him in his works; but the information given in those remarks, however copious and interesting, is of too fragmentary a character to enable us to form a correct idea of his travels, and of the impressions he took with him from each country. We are left in darkness even concerning his route ; we do not know whether it was similar to that chosen about twenty years after by Benjamin of Tudela, namely from Saragossa by way of Catalonia, the South of France, Italy, Greece, the Archipelago, Rhodes, Cyprus and Cilicia to Syria, Palestine, the countries of the Khalif and Persia, and thence by the Indo-Arabian Ocean, the towns of the coast of Yemen, Egypt and Sicily, to Castile,18<i class="footnote">Ibid. p. 251.</i> or in the opposite direction, from Spain by way of Egypt and Arabia to India and Persia, thence through Syria, Palestine, Rhodes, Greece, Italy, France to England, and then again by way of France either to Spain or Italy.
  From a remark of his pupil, R. Solomo Parchon,19<i class="footnote">,וכשבאו ר׳ יהודה הלוי ור׳ אברהם בן עזרא ש״ץ לאפריקין “And when R. Jehudah Hallevi and R. Abraham Ibn Ezra (may his Rock protect him) came to Africa.” Parchon, Aruch. ed., Introduction, p. 4.</i> it would seem that he came to Africa together with R. Jehudah Hallevi, when the latter was on his way to the Holy Land. An anecdote represents him as visiting Egypt at the time when the great philosopher Maimonides was living there. Ibn Ezra desirous of making the acquaintance of Moses ben Maimon, made several attempts to see him, but in vain; his disappointment found vent in an epigram which has probably suggested the story :—
  אשכים לבית השר אומרים כבר רכב
  אבוא לעת ערב אומרים כבר שכב
  או יעלה מרכב או יעלה משכב
  אויה לאיש עני נולד בלי כוכב ׃
  “I call on the prince in the morning, I am told he has ridden away;
  I call again in the evening, I hear he has retired to rest.
  Whether he be out on horseback or rest on his couch,
  Disappointment is my lot, ill-starred that I am.”20<i class="footnote">Orient. 1843, Literaturbl. p. 658.</i>
  In Africa he seems to have copied the critical remarks of R. Adonim against Saadiah; he afterwards composed in Lucca a reply in defence of the Gaon, and called it Sefath Yether.21<i class="footnote">These words denote “haughty language,” or “language of distinction.” If taken in the former sense, Ibn Ezra alluded to the language which R. Adonim used in his attacks on R. Saadiah ; if in the latter sense, he referred to the holy language, implying that the book contains remarks on the Hebrew language. Comp. Sephath Yether, etc., ed. by Dr. G. H. Lippman, Frankfort a. M., 1843, Introd. p. 20.</i> The literati in Africa are blamed by Ibn Ezra for their carelessness concerning the revision of the copies made from their works, because the mistakes made by the first transcriber usually become the seed of errors and corruptions which multiply with every fresh copy. But all the carefulness and conscientiousness of Ibn Ezra did not save his works from that fate; their text is exceedingly mutilated and corrupt. But little is said in his commentaries on the Bible of his observations and investigations in Africa. He gives some interesting information about the Nile,22<i class="footnote">Comp. Commentary on Gen. ii. 11 ; Ex. vii. 15.</i> the position of Raamses,23<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ex. xii. 31.</i> the Red Sea, etc.24<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ex. xiii. 18 ; xiv. 27, 29.</i> In Arabia he tasted the so-called manna, and convinced himself by experiments that it was quite different from that heavenly manna which God gave the Israelites during their wanderings through the Arabian desert.25<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ex. xvi. 13.</i> While staying in Tiberias in Palestine, he devoted himself to the study of old manuscripts of the Bible, and had conferences with the elders of the congregation on that subject.26<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ex. xxv. 32.</i> Tiberias was certainly not the only town in Palestine which he visited, but it is doubtful whether he ventured upon entering the Holy City, which at the time when a Christian sovereign ruled in it, would not offer to the Jewish pilgrim any protection or safety. There are some critics, both of the old and modern school, who are of opinion that Ibn Ezra never was in Jerusalem, because his remarks touching its topography are based on imagination rather than on personal investigation, and appear to be in direct opposition to the results of modern scientific researches. He declares27<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ps. xlviii. 3 ; Is. xiv. 13.</i> that Zion is in the north of Jerusalem, while it is generally supposed that it occupies the south of the city. It is true that Zion, the mount which David took and chose for his residence, is in the south; but that Mount soon became the principal and most important part of the city, while its name was transferred to the Temple-mount, to the north (or the north-east) of the former place and therefore in the north of Jerusalem. A visit paid to that place would hardly have altered the opinion of Ibn Ezra.
  It seems that he extended his travels to Persia and India. Abudirham, in his commentary on the Haggadah, tells us that Ibn Ezra came to India as a captive, and that the fare which he and his fellow sufferers received while in prison, consisted chiefly of unleavened bread; and he concludes from this fact, that this kind of food being considered more economical, was for that reason given to the Israelites by Pharaoh, and that this is meant by the words of the Haggadah: “Such is the bread of affliction, which our forefathers ate in Egypt.” Ibn Ezra seems, however, to have liked the frugal Indian meals, at which no meat was served; they were vegetarians;28<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ex. viii. 22.</i> their rice-bread is highly spoken of by our traveller.29<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Dan. i.</i>
  Even from the scanty remarks which we find in his commentaries, we may conclude how attentively he observed everything in the countries through which he travelled. He studied everywhere the character and customs of the people, their dress, and food. He found, <i>e.g.</i>, that the Arab tribes were scrupulously exact in their weights and measures;30<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ex. xxx. 23.</i> that the Hindoos touch the thigh of a person to indicate their submission.31<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Gen. xxiv. 2.</i> He noticed that the bonnets which the ladies wore in Italy, and the male headgear in Spain, Arabia, Egypt, Babylon, and Bagdad, resembled the mitre worn by the high priest.32<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Ex. xxviii. 36.</i> He observed that the food given to Daniel and his companions, instead of the royal dainties, probably consisted of rice and beans, both of which were nourishing and healthy, provided the latter were not French beans, which were of an inferior quality, and injurious to the health.33<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Dan. i.</i> His remarks on the Nile,34<i class="footnote">See note 22.</i> on the Mediterranean,35<i class="footnote">See note 24.</i> the difference of time between London or other places and Jerusalem,36<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Num. xiii. 17 ; Ex. xii. 2; Gen. xxxiii. 10. Yesod. Mora, c. 1.</i> and similar interesting observations, show that he made himself well acquainted with the physical, mathematical, and political geography of the various countries through which he passed. It need hardly be said, that the condition of the Jews, the opinion and knowledge which other people had of his brethren, were matters of great interest to Ibn Ezra. A few remarks on that point tell us how strange and sorrowful the results of his researches are, and how much he himself must have suffered as a Jewish traveller.37<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Is. liii.</i>
  A curious anecdote is related in connexion with his travels. It is said, that once when he was on board a vessel with some of his pupils, a raging storm compelled the captain to throw every ninth man of the passengers overboard ; by means of an algebraical formula, which his mathematical knowledge had discovered, he placed himself and his party in such a position that the fatal number never reached one of them; but neither the plan of the captain, nor the counter-plot of Ibn Ezra is sufficiently known.38<i class="footnote">See R. Mose b. Chabib. Darche Noam.; De Rossi Dizzionario, <i>sub voce</i> Aben Ezra.</i>
  His stay in Italy, France, and England, has been enduringly commemorated by his literary productions. In Rome he seems to have unsealed the spring of his knowledge;39<i class="footnote">If he composed any works before he came to Rome, they have remained unknown. The book Moznaïm, quoted in most of the writings of Ibn Ezra seems, at all events, to have been one of his earliest productions.</i> and when once the stream had found its way out of the invisible source, it continued to run incessantly, and poured forth its blessings in abundance. He commenced his literary career by translating a grammatical work of Rabbi Jehudah Hayyug from Arabic into Hebrew. This book paved the way for his independent treatises on Hebrew grammar, which he composed in Rome, Lucca, and Mantua; namely, Moznaïm (balance), Zahoth (elegance of style), Safa Berurah (pure language), and Sefar Hayyesod (the book on the elements of the language).
  In Rome he also commenced to write a commentary upon the Scriptures; he began with two books, which on account of their contents seem to have most engaged his philosophical mind—Ecclesiastes and Job. He worthily used the ample opportunities given in these works for the display of his talents, experience, and knowledge. His style and mode of witticism, his principles and arguments, must have been entirely new to his brethren in Italy, where the study of Talmud and Midrash, and the style of Kalir’s poetry seems to have obtained the victory over the exegetical, grammatical, philosophical, and poetical works of the Spanish school. We are not informed how far he succeeded in enlisting among the Italian Jewish communities the attention and respect due to these branches of learning; but this is certain, that he found friends and admirers, who eagerly listened to his instruction, and gladly provided for his livelihood. His books were bought, and he was continually encouraged to write new works.
  While in his introduction to Ecclesiastes, he prays to God,
  להגיה חשכו, להצליח דרכו, אשר נשאר עד כה, כאלה נבלת
  “to enlighten his darkness, to prosper his way, which till then had been strown with withering leaves,” he was able to declare, when about to write the commentary on the book of Lamentations:
  הוצאתני מארץ ספרד חמת המציקים
  וספרי אלו בגלותי היו בידי מחזיקים
  “the wrath of oppressors hath driven me from Spain, and on my wanderings these books have sustained my soul.” As a mark of distinction, and as a token of gratitude, he usually dedicated his work to his principal patron, or a studious pupil, in a few introductory rhymes. Many of these dedicatory epigrams are still extant.40<i class="footnote">He wrote the Sefer Haschem for Abraham, the son of Hayim, and Isaac, the son of Jehudah; the Sefath Yether for his pupil Hayim; Yesod Mora he composed for some liberal and noble man in London of the name of Salomon. In the Introduction to the Commentary on Job, the name of the patron to whom the work was dedicated seems to have been omitted.</i>
  Besides Rome, he visited other towns in Italy, such as Salerno,41<i class="footnote">Then celebrated for the medical school established there, which attracted a great many learned and studious people. The question as to the first place visited by Ibn Ezra will be discussed in the third part of this Introduction, in treating of the works of Ibn Ezra.</i> Lucca, and Mantua. In the first named place he seems to have been very much disappointed. He complains of the ignorance of its inhabitants, and of their indifference to science and literature; and traces it to the deficiency and incapacity of the spiritual chief of the congregation, R. Isaac ben Malki Zedek, whose talents Ibn Ezra describes in the following satire :—
  “To his ignorant flock he exclaims,
  Full well am I versed in Talmudical lore ;42<i class="footnote">The Mishnah is divided into six parts:—1. זרעים (lit. “seeds”), containing the laws concerning the daily prayer and benedictions, and laws in connection with agriculture. 2. מועל (“season”): on the Sabbath and festivals. 3. נשים (“women”): on matrimonial laws. 4. נזיקין (“damages”): on civil and criminal law. 5. קדשים (“holy things”): on sacrifices. 6. טהרות (“pure things”); on the distinction between “pure” and “impure.”</i>
  He uplifteth his voice, to reach to the clouds,
  Yet in the easiest chapters he signally fails.
  Even the veriest tyro can discover his errors.
  He reads in Taharoth,43<i class="footnote">The sixth part of the Mishnah, treating of laws in abeyance since the destruction of the Temple, is generally neglected by Talmudists, and is therefore held to be in some measure terra incognita.</i> and knows not his Bible;
  Its very beginning, familiar to all, even to a child,
  Is a hard task to him.”
  The satire is not only directed against this R. Isaac, but also against his adherents, who allowed themselves to be so egregiously deceived. He probably found also in that congregation some noble hearted and intelligent men, who knew how to appreciate his talents, but there was no demand for his works; no one asked him to write a new book.
  בכל מקום גרתי ספרים חברתי
  וסודות בארתי וכראי מוצקים
  ועתה נפלתי לעפר שפלתי ⋯⋯
  ופה לא אפתח פי שדי דעתי צמקים
  “Wherever I have stayed, I wrote many books,
  And made clear what was hidden, like unto a mirror.
  But now am I fallen, to the dust am I lowered;
  And my mouth dare I not open here.
  My spring of knowledge is sealed up.”
  When R. Salomon Parchon,44<i class="footnote">Salom. b. Abr. Parchon, Aragonensis, Lexicon Hebraicum, ed. Stern, Presburg, 1844. “When I came to Salerno, and noticed that they were not in possession of any of the above-named works, I resolved to write a dictionary,” etc. P. xxii.</i> a pupil of Ibn Ezra, came to that place, it was still very destitute of knowledge of Hebrew literature ; nevertheless a slight improvement seems, in the meantime, to have taken place, since he thought it useful to write a Hebrew grammar and a dictionary there. In Mantua and Lucca, Ibn Ezra was more successful. The latter place called by him (עיר מושבי) his residence, was the birthplace of many of his works. Besides some pamphlets on matters touching astronomy and mathematics, he wrote there his commentary on Isaiah. When suddenly stricken with illness at that place, he vowed in prayer to God, that if recovery from that illness should be vouchsafed to him he would at once undertake to write a commentary on the Pentateuch.45<i class="footnote">Ginse Oxford, p. xvi.: ונדרתי לאל נדר בחליי לבאר דת סיני בהר נתונה “In my sickness I vowed a vow to the Lord, that I would explain the Law which He revealed on Sinai.”</i> He recovered, and the fulfilment of the vow was not delayed for a moment. Such was his facility in composition, such were his energy and perseverance, that though he was at that time sixty-four years old, he was able to complete the whole work in a very short time. The frequent repetition of phrases like אם יעזרני השם, “If God will assist me,” or “If God will grant me to come so far,”46<i class="footnote">Comp. Com. on Gen. xxii. 1; xxxviii. 8 ; Lev. xxvii. 34.</i> remind us of his dangerous illness, and the debility that for some time remained after his convalescence. The commentary on the Pentateuch known to us, is perhaps not the same as that which was written in Lucca on that occasion, or at least it has not come to us in the same form; it was afterwards revised, rewritten, abridged in some parts, and extended in others. Parts of the various editions of this commentary which he issued are still in existence.47<i class="footnote">Another commentary exists on Genesis in MS., being much lengthier than the printed one. On Exodus, a shorter commentary has been discovered, and published by Reggio. ביאור על ספר שמות נקרא הקצר. Prague, 1840. Comp. Ginse Oxford, p. xv. (Hebr.) and xviii. (Engl.).</i> When he came to England, whither his fame had preceded him, he was well received, and many scholars, thirsting for his instruction, assembled round him. His impatience did not suffer him to make a long stay. This short visit, however, became memorable by the production of two pamphlets, the one יסוד מורא, “The Foundation of the Fear of the Lord,” a treatise on the study of the Law, and the nature of the Divine commandments; the other, אגרת השבת, “A Letter of the Sabbath,” a treatise on the time when the sacred day really commences. The former he wrote for a certain Salomon, of London, whose liberality, truthfulness, and fear of the Lord he praises in the introduction, saying, חברתיו לנדיב שלמה שלמד לפני ספרים שחברתי לו ומרוב אהבתי אותו הוגעתי נפשי לכתוב לו ספר במצות כי ראיתיו כי הוא איש אמת וישר וירא את יי (I wrote it for the noble Salomon, who studied under me the books which I wrote for him, and in my love for him I took pains to compose for him a book on the divine commandments, for I found him to be a man of truth, upright, and God-fearing).48<i class="footnote">Yesod. Mora. c. 2.</i> One of his pupils in England, Joseph of Maudeville, copied the minor prophets, and added such remarks as he had heard from the mouth of his master;49<i class="footnote">Comp. MS. Brit. Mus.ואני יוסף בר׳ יעקב ממודויל העתקתיו ממכתב יד המהבר גם הוספתי קצת פירוש על לשונו כאשר הוא פירש לי בעת חבורו רק בעבור שהוא לש׳ פירושי סימנתי הטורים הנוספים בשתי נקודות בראש הטור ובבל מקום שימצאו השתי נקודות בין מלה למלה היא תוספת פירושי מפיו“And I, Joseph, the son of Jacob of Maudeville, copied this from the author’s MS. I have also added to his words a few remarks which he made unto me when he was engaged in writing his book: but since they are given in my own words, I marked the additional lines by two points at the beginning and the end of my interpolations; and whenever the two points occur between two words, they relate to my notice of his additional commentaries.” This remark in the MS. of the Br. Mus. is not written by Joseph, the son of Jacob of Maudeville, since the two points, referred to, have been omitted by the later copyist.</i> he also added some remarks to Ibn Ezra’s commentary on the Pentateuch, coming from the same source.50<i class="footnote">Com. on Ex. xii. 9.</i> Before going to England, and after his return thence, he probably stayed in France. Bezières and Rhodez, two places in the south of France, are mentioned in his works. He received there ample marks of honour and respect from all quarters, especially from the Rabbinical authorities of France, who could appreciate the merits and enter into the spirit of his works.
  To some complimentary lines of R. Jacob Tam, Ibn Ezra replies:
  ומי הביא לצרפתי בבית שיר, ועבר זר מקום קדש ורמס, ולו שיר יעקב ימתק כמו מן, אני שמש, וחם השמש ונמס
  “Who brought the Frenchman to the temple of song,
  And allowed a stranger to tread sacred soil ?
  And though the poem of Jacob were sweeter than manna,
  I am the sun, whose heat makes it melt.”
  R. Jacob Tam writes to him :
  אבי עזרי ישיבוהו סעפיו אשד נתן ידידו בין אגפיו אני עבד לאברהם למקנה ואקורה ואשתחוה לאפיו
  “My father, my help, who guidedst my steps;
  I am Abraham’s slave; I bow down and serve thee.”
  Ibn Ezra replies:
  הנכון אל אביר עם אל ורועם
  להשפיל ראש במכתב אל בזוי עם
  וחלילה למלאך אלהים אשר יקד וישתחוה לבלעם ׃
  “Is it right that the leader of the people of God should indite an epistle to me, the despised P
  Forbid it that an angel of Heaven should bow himself prostrate before Balaam !”51<i class="footnote">Kerem Chemed. vii. 35.</i>
  Here, in France, he continued his literary career, as it would seem, under happy auspices, and wrote commentaries on several books of the Bible.
  Ibn Ezra died seventy-five years old, in Kalahorra, on the frontier of Navarre, as some report,52<i class="footnote">Abraham Zakuta, in his Sefer Hajjochasin.</i> or in Rome according to other authorities.53<i class="footnote">Comp. Zunz, Die Monatstage des Kalenderjahres, Berlin, 1872, p. 4.</i> When he felt that death was approaching, he applied to himself the words of the Bible,  ואברם בן חמש ושבעים שנה בצאתו מחרן. “And Abram (Ibn Ezra) was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran,” that is, from the troubles of this life (Gen. xii. 4).54<i class="footnote">The word חרן is used here in the sense of חרון, “anger,” or “trouble.” According to a statement found in several codices (Cod. Val. No. 39 and No. 249; comp. Sephat Yether, ed. Lipmann, p. 22), Ibn Ezra died on Monday, the 1st of Adar I. 4927 (January 23, 1167), 75 years old. Consequently he was born in 1092. The authenticity of this statement has been impugned, but without effect. The principal objection was taken from a poem which precedes the Sefer Zahoth of I. E., written 1146, and contains the line, ואברהם זקן בעוף נודד מקן, “And Abraham, being old, wandering about, as a bird driven from its nest.” It has been urged that Ibn Ezra could not have been called “old” in the year 1146, if, in 1167, he was 75 years old. But it must not be overlooked, first, that the term “old” has a relative meaning; and Ibn Ezra, although only 54 years old, but worn out by the cares and troubles of his constant exile, might well have applied that expression to himself; secondly, that the poem might have been written by another person, who called Ibn Ezra זקן, “old,” in the sense which that term often has in Hebrew writings, namely, “experienced” and “learned.”</i> From these lines we learn, at the same time, that the name of the grandson of R. Jehudah was not Isaac, the name of Ibn Ezra’s son, and that the daughter of R. Jehudah was therefore not the wife of Ibn Ezra.