Commentary for Isaiah 7:4
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵ֠לָיו הִשָּׁמֵ֨ר וְהַשְׁקֵ֜ט אַל־תִּירָ֗א וּלְבָבְךָ֙ אַל־יֵרַ֔ךְ מִשְּׁנֵ֨י זַנְב֧וֹת הָאוּדִ֛ים הָעֲשֵׁנִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה בָּחֳרִי־אַ֛ף רְצִ֥ין וַאֲרָ֖ם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָֽהוּ׃
and say unto him: Keep calm, and be quiet; fear not, neither let thy heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and of the son of Remaliah.
Rashi on Isaiah
Feel secure Heb. הִשָּׁמֵר. Sit tranquilly like wine on its lees (שְׁמָרָיו).
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
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.4השמר 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.
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Rashi on Isaiah
smoking stubs of firebrands Consider them as stubs of firebrands whose flame has been extinguished. אוּדִים is tisons [embers] in French.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
והשקט Transitive verb Make quiet; supply נפשך thyself or עמך thy people.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
Tails of smoking firebrands. 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.
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