meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Malbim/Prophets/Malbim on Isaiah/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Malbim on Isaiah
  מלבי"ם על ישעיהו
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Malbim on Isaiah
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  Comfort, comfort. You, prophets, comfort my people. And since the redemption will come either before its time because of merit, or if they receive complete punishment for their sins, or even if they aren't meritorious, He will redeem them at the set time, therefor it said "comfort" twice. 
  
  Verse 2
  
  Because its set time is complete. This means to say: either they will be redeemed at the time that the set time is complete. And this will be if they don't merit to be redeemed earlier than this. Or they will be redeemed before the time - Because, for its sin is satisfied. If their sins are satisfied with repentance and merit. Or because - For it took from the Hand of God double. That He will double their torments and punishments until the punishments and torment equal - All of its sins. For example, someone who it was decreed on him to sit in jail for ten years and get lashed ten times every day, and the jail master hits him one hundred times every day, he goes free. And so too it was in Egypt, that the hardship of the service finished the four hundred years in two hundred and ten.
  
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  Verse 9
  
  The description here is of Zion herself as the herald, and so too Jerusalem. It says - you Zion the herald go up on a high mountain and you Jerusalem raise your voice with strength, don't be afraid lest the thing which you announce not come to pass, because it certainly will come. Not only this but also say to the cities of Yehudah 'here is your Gd' as if you are pointing to something which has already come and exists. (I already explained in many places that in Zion was the seat of the king, the Sanhedrin and the place of the Holy Temple, while in Jerusalem dwelt the masses. Zion announces that He has returned His Presence to Zion and the kingship and the priesthood. Therefore the prophet advised him to ascend a high mountain. Jerusalem announces the ingathering of the exiles, therefore the prophet advised her to raise her voice in strength in order that those driven away hear and be gathered from the four corners of the heavens.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
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  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  ... "That I may plant the heavens, And lay the foundations of the earth" That is to say that even if one should imagine that the redemption of Zion would be as difficult as the creation of heavens and earth, 'I have put My words in your mouth,' that this too I will do, to plant new heavens and a new earth and to say to Zion 'you are My people.' And this asserts that it is impossible for the laws of heaven and earth and the ways of nature to prevent Me from doing this, because if so I will nullify their laws and establish new heavens, in order that I fulfill My words that I placed in you mouth 'And say unto Zion: ‘Thou art My people.’ Therefore I say this to you.
  
  Verse 17
  
  "Awake, awake" You. In response to what you said to Me, 'Awaken, awaken, dress yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord' (Is.51:9) I say
  "Awaken, awaken, arise, Jerusalem" because the thing depends on you
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  "Awaken,awaken" (this is also said in response to what is written above, "Awaken, awaken, dress yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord" And He responds - you awake, upon you the thing depends, you dress yourself with strength Zion, as was explained above)
  "put on your strength, O Zion" In the stronghold of Zion, the City of David, there resided the Holy Temple,the priesthood, the Sanhedrin and the kingship which are the inner strength - in reference to this the verse says 'put on your strength, O Zion.' But in Jerusalem, which is the wholeness of the city, resided the outer garments - the clothes of glory which are wealth and a populous people and are physical success. In reference to this it says
  "put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem the Holy City, for no longer shall there come into you the uncircumcised" into Jerusalem
  "and the unclean" into Zion
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
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  Verse 11
  
  "Poor one" After the prophet already prophesied that the barren one would have many children, which is an allegory for the ingathering of the exiles, he described that at that time Zion will still not be rebuilt on her hill. This poor one, who is Zion, will still storm in the rage of her spirit because she has not been comforted (so too he offer the interpretation above in chapter 49 'behold these shall come from afar...and Zion will say the Lord has abandoned me...' He also interpreted that as saying that Zion would sit in ruins at the time of the ingathering, as I explained there.) 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 14
  
  "come bending unto you" The idolaters who oppressed you with hard oppression will come to the point of bending over in order to appease you. And your abusers who did not oppress you but rather only insulted and disparaged you, because you were not worthy of consideration in their eyes (and they will not need to appease you), will bow down at your feet now from the greatness of your importance. And they will call you now
  "the city of the Lord" This will be Jerusalem, and the name
  "Zion" they will call
  "the Zion of the Holy One of Israel" because there Gd will be revealed with the greatest intensity through the pouring out of His holy spirit according to the holiness of Israel and their actions (because this is what divides between Gd and the holiness of Israel in every place):
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  "for Zion's sake" He came back to speak of two matters which he recalled in the previous section. 1. The righteousness which Gd desires to reveal, the righteousness of Israel and the truth of their Torah and their faith. 2. The salvation which Gd desires to bring to them. Zion represents the righteousness of Israel because Zion was the location of the Sanhedrin and the Holy Temple, and Jerusalem represents the salvation of Israel because there the masses dwelt and to there the scattered ones were gathered, as it is written "...put on your strength, O Zion; put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem..." (Is. 52:1) Zion will clothe herself with inner might, the spiritual successes, and Jerusalem external garments - the physical successes. In order to clarify the righteousness of Israel and the truth of their Torah one must argue with words and claims, and on this it says - 
  "for Zion's sake I will not hold my peace" I will not cease from arguing and proving her truth. To bring the salvation of Israel out of their exile requires practical action, and on this it says - 
  "for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest" I will not sit at ease without doing a thing, rather I will be diligent to save them...