הֲיִתְפָּאֵר֙ הַגַּרְזֶ֔ן עַ֖ל הַחֹצֵ֣ב בּ֑וֹ אִם־יִתְגַּדֵּ֤ל הַמַּשּׂוֹר֙ עַל־מְנִיפ֔וֹ כְּהָנִ֥יף שֵׁ֙בֶט֙ וְאֶת־מְרִימָ֔יו כְּהָרִ֥ים מַטֶּ֖ה לֹא־עֵֽץ׃
Darf aber die Art gegen den damit Hauenden prahlen, oder die Säge sich erheben gegen den sie Schwingenden? Als schwänge der Stock die, die ihn erheben, als erhöbe der Stab den [Menschen], der kein Holz ist.
Rashi on Isaiah
Shall the axe boast The Holy One, blessed be He, says: You should not have boasted about this, since you are merely like My axe, and I am hewing with you; I visit retribution upon My enemies. You are the saw, and I am He Who wields it. Now is it customary for the saw to boast over the one who wields it? מַשּׂוֹר is dolodojjre in O.F., a small axe.
Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
הגרזן. An instrument to cut with. Comp. נגרזתי, I have been cut. (Ps. 31:23.) Shall the axe, 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. 12מַשוֹר 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.
Rashi on Isaiah
It is as though the rod wields those who raise it It is as though the rod was raising [itself and] the hand of him who was raising it. Is it not so that the rod does not wield itself but the man?