Kommentar zu Jeschijahu 27:14

on leviathan the barlike serpent Jonathan renders: On the king who aggrandized himself like Pharaoh the first king, and upon a king who was as haughty as Sennacherib the second king. בָּרִיחַ is an expression of ‘straight’ like a bar, since he is the first. (The matter of simplicity is related to oneness. Since Pharaoh was the first great king, he is referred to as ‘the barlike serpent,’ a straight, penetrating serpent, that does not coil.)

ביום ההוא In those days.¹ביום ההוא Though singular, does not refer to one particular day, but to a whole period.

crooked An expression of ‘double,’ since he is the second one. (I.e. the bend in the serpent indicates duality, thus the number two.) And I say that these are three important nations: Egypt, Assyria, and Edom. He, therefore, stated concerning these as he said at the end of the section (v. 13), “And those lost in the land of Assyria shall come, as well as those lost in the land of Egypt,” and since the nations are likened to serpents that bite.

The Lord shall visit. As mentioned in the preceding verse.

leviathan the barlike serpent That is Egypt.

Leviathan. The Theli ; (תלי)²תלי 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. it has the epithet בריח stretching,³A. V., Piercing. because it stretches from one end to the other. [I think it is a sea monster].⁴The 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.

leviathan the crooked serpent That is Assyria.

Even Leviathan, that crooked serpent. 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.⁵The sea-monsters are usually called תנינים; this remark is therefore added, that they are also called נחשים, some of them being serpent-like. עקלתון Crooked. It is an adjective.

and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea That is Tzor that is the head of the children of Esau, and it is situated in the heart of the seas, and so Kittim are called the islands of the sea, and they are the Romans [according to certain manuscripts]. ([Some editions read:] They are the Greeks.)

And the dragon that is in the sea. 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;⁶Assyria or Babylon. 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.⁷That is, the chiefs of the army of Sennacherib before Jerusalem.

On that day At the time of the redemption, they shall sing to Israel, “This is a wine producing vineyard. It has yielded its good wine.” חֶמֶר vinos in O.F., winish.

חמר Wine⁸A. V., Red wine. Pure. A vineyard of red wine. Comp. חָמֶר wine (Deut. 32:14). A vineyard of wine. A vineyard that yields a large quantity of wine.

ענו Sing. Comp. ענות Singing (Ex. 32:18).

Unto her. Unto Zion. The imperative sing is addressed to the singers.⁹The subject, Ye singers, is not directly mentioned, but contained implicitly in the verb. Comp. ii. Note 5. The prophet has said already, that Judah is the pleasant plant of the Lord (5:7)

I, the Lord, guard it in the time of exile.

I, the Lord, do keep it, that is to say, the Divine glory remains in Zion.

every moment I water it Little by little I water it with the cup of retribution that comes upon it, lest I visit upon it at once and I destroy it. Therefore, night and day I ponder about it. Jonathan renders: Were it not that I visit upon them the iniquities that they are accustomed to commit before Me, I would guard it day and night.

I will water it every moment. 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.¹⁰More 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. 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 Its leaves. Each of its leaves.¹¹A. V., It. Comp. ii. Note 18. Comp. 1:30.¹²This 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. 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.

I have no wrath I have no mouth (var. excuse) to arouse My wrath on the nations, for Israel sins as well, and the standard of justice accuses.

Fury is not in me, etc. Some say that this verse is the continuation of the words of the Lord. Fury is not in me, that is, great fury is not in me.

would that I were thorns and briers against [the objects of My] war Against those with whom I wage war, namely Ishmael (ms. Esau). Would that I could visit upon them and the standard of justice would not be able to protest, i.e., that Israel would repent, and that would give Me thorns and briers against the enemies! I would tread upon the standard of justice and I would visit upon them even more and additional punishment over their iniquity, and I would ignite them together. Jonathan rendered it in this manner, as referring to the nations. Our Sages of blessed memory explained it concerning Israel, and it refers back to the vineyard, as follows: I have no wrath Despite all the angers with which this vineyard has provoked Me, I cannot pour out My wrath to destroy it because of the oath I swore to their forefathers. If only it were like days long past! Were it not for the oath, I would be thorns and briers and I would tread upon the vineyard, and I would ignite it together.

Who would set, etc. Anthropomorphism.¹³In 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. 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 would go through it;¹⁴A. V., Them.—comp. כפשע but a step (1 Sam. 20:3)—

אציתנה I would burn it;—comp. הציתו they have burnt (2 Sam. 14:35)

If they would grasp My fortress (אוֹ), lit., or they would grasp My fortress,) an expression of ‘if.’ Comp. “(Ex. 21:36) If (אוֹ) it was known that he was a goring ox.” If My people grasp My fortress, i.e., My Torah, that they seek no other fortress but My fortress, then they shall grant Me peace, to calm My thoughts and My ire which trouble Me because I do not avenge Myself upon My adversaries, and I will, indeed, take revenge from them.

Or let him take hold, 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)—

they would make peace for Me from the standard of justice, so that it will be unable to accuse and to say, “Why are these different from those?” (I.e., Why are the Jews different from the other nations?)

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: Fury is not in me, what I am going to say, I shall not say with fury. מי יתנני וגו׳ Who would give me—comp. נתתני thou hast given me (Judges 1:15)—the briers and thorns of the vineyard! I would go through them, etc.; that is, if they do not remove the wicked men of Israel, I will slay them all; or let him take hold of my strength, etc., then Jacob shall take root.—

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 19¹⁵The 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.—but the men of Judah,¹⁶The 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. 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.¹⁷The 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. 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 Or if He would strengthen my stronghold, 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.¹⁸I. 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.

Those who came, whom Jacob caused to take root Do you not know what I did at first? Those who came to Egypt which Jacob caused to take root, flourished and blossomed there until they filled the face of the world with fruitage.

.¹⁹Literally: In coming days. בימים הבאים═בהבאים ═ הבאיםבהבאים ═ הבאים In future. According to some: the children.²⁰Literally: The coming sc. generations. הדורות הבאים ═ הבאים

ישרש He shall cause to take root. Comp. ישרשיח ותשרש and didst cause it to take deep root (Psa. 80:10).²¹The 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.

תנובה. Fruit.

Like the smiting of him who smote him did He smite him Have you seen My might, that like the smiting of the one who smote Jacob, I smote him. They drowned them in the water, and I drowned them in the water. There are some other rhetorical questions that warrant an affirmative answer, e.g. (I Sam. 2:27), “Did I appear to the house of your father?” Also (Ezek. 8:6), “Do you see what they are doing?”

Hath he smitten him, etc. This prophecy refers to the fall of Samaria, to which alone the expression אשרים groves can be applied.²²It 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.

like the slaying of Israel, who were the slain ones of Pharaoh, were Pharaoh and his people slain?

Those that smote him. The Assyrians.

Of them that are slain by him. 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.

In that measure (בְּסַאסְּאָה) in that measure.

בסאסאה. In measure. According to most commentators בסאסאה is a reduplication of סאה measure, like ²³Root: טול :ירק.²³Root: טול :ירק.ירקרק green (Lev. 13:49); מטלטלך Will carry thee away (22:17).

when they sent them out, it strove with it When Egypt sent Israel out, it strove with it, the seah of the measure with its seah.

Thou wilt debate with it, with Samaria; comp. the defenced city (ver. 10)²⁴The 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..

He spoke with His harsh wind (הָגָה) He spoke with His harsh speech.

בשלחה According to some: with its sword.²⁵A. V., When it shooteth forth. 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.²⁶The 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. 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 the Lord removed²⁷A. V., Stayeth.—Being in continual conflict with her neighbours, Samaria was taken away from amongst them. her; comp. ²⁸Hophal of יגה.הוגה he was removed (2 Sam. 20:13); ה replaces the radical י; as in ידה═הדה he stretched forth (11:8).

on the day of the east wind On the day (concerning which Scripture states) (Ex. 14:21): “And the Lord led the sea with a strong east wind.”

קדים East wind.

Therefore Now, too, with this, Jacob’s iniquity would be atoned for, to merit to be redeemed as then.

By this, therefore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, etc. That is, no evil shall befall him—for the iniquity of Jacob (עון יעקב) is the source of all his evils^28aעון iniquity is, therefore, used here for רע evil.—and the decree shall be rescinded, if they abolish idolatry.

and this is all the fruit that is best for Me to remove his sin, if he makes all the altar stones of his high places, like crushed chalk-stones. מְנֻפָּצוֹת means crushed. Comp. (Ps. 137:9) “And crushes (וְנִפֵּץ) your babies.” Comp. (Jer. 13:14) “And I will crush them (וְנִפַּצְתִּים) one against the other.” גִּיר is a kind of dye.

הסר To take away. Infinitive.

asherim and sun images shall not rise So that they shall not retain their idolatry.

The altar of Baal.

גיר Chalk.

מנפצות Beaten in sunder. Comp. תנפצם Thou shalt break them (Ps. 2:9).

לא יקמו Shall not stand. Shall not remain.²⁹The use of קום to rise, in the sense of עמד to stand, is explained here by I. E. See xl. Note 20.

For a fortified city is solitary For, when they do this, a fortified city of Ishmael (ms. Esau) will be solitary and the dwelling will be forsaken by its inhabitants and abandoned like a pasture.

The defenced city. Samaria. בדד Shall be desolate.

there a calf shall graze Ephraim shall inherit it, for he is called a calf, as it is said (Jer. 31:17): “Like an untamed calf.”

סעפיה The branches thereof. Comp. על שתי הסעפים upon the two branches (1 Kings 18:21).^29aA. 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. The open towns are meant.

and shall consume its branches (סְעִיפֶיהָ) its branches.

When its branches dry out The branches of its roots. Comp. (Ps. 80:12) “It sent forth its branches (קְצִירֶיהָ).” Also (Job 14:9): “And produce branches (קָצִיר).” I.e., when the little merit that Edom has for honoring his father, is depleted, then its branches shall be broken.

קצירה The bough³⁰A. V. The boughs. thereof. Comp. בקצירי In my branch (Job. 29:19).

women shall come and ignite it A people weak as women shall ignite them. Jonathan renders in this manner. מְאִירוֹת means ‘ignite.’ Comp. (Mal. 1:10) “And you shall not light (תָּאִירוּ) My altar in vain.” Dunash too interpreted it in this manner, for since the wood will be dry, it will be easy to ignite. Menahem, however, interpreted it to mean ‘gather.’ Comp. (Song 5:1) “I gathered (אָרִיתִי) my myrrh.” Also (Ps. 80:13): “All passersby gathered from it (וְאָרוּהָ).” (Machbereth Menahem p. 32) Dunash replied, “Does it not say, ‘When its branches dry out’? And with dry grapes, no one gathers fruit.” (Teshuvoth Dunash p. 45)] Likewise, our Sages, who prohibited accepting charity from them because of this reason, for they stated in Baba Bathra ch. 1, (10b,) “Does he not believe, ‘When its branches dry out, they shall be broken?’”

They shall be broken off. The pronoun they refers to פארות the smaller branches,³¹I. 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. while קציר signifies the large branch.

מאירות Some explain: Collect;³²A. V., Set them on fire. 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)

that the Lord shall gather יַחְבֹּט, lit., shall beat. Jonathan renders: shall fall dead. I.e., the nations from the banks of the Euphrates to the stream of Egypt. I say, however, that these two expressions, (viz.) beating and gathering, coincide with one another, like one who bears his olive trees and goes back and gathers them and (ms. or) others gather them from the ground, so will the Holy One, blessed be He, commence the gathering, as it is said: A great shofar shall be sounded.

ביום ההוא In those days.³³See Note 1.

from the flood of the river These are those lost in the land of Assyria.

יחבט Shall beat off. 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.

to the stream of Egypt Those are the ones exiled in the land of Egypt.

One by one. Only a few will be left out of many.

the river Euphrates. They are those in Assyria who live by the Euphrates.

to the stream of Egypt These are those who live in Egypt, He shall gather them like one who gathers olives.

and you shall be gathered from the exiles.

one and one Whoever finds one of you will bring him as an offering.

those lost in the land of Assyria Since they were scattered in a distant land, within the Sambatyon River, he calls them, ‘lost.’

And it shall come to pass in that day, etc. Then all the children of Ephraim³⁴Since 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. that are in exile will hasten to return to Jerusalem, seeing that their own kingdom has ceased to exist.