Commentary for Isaiah 10:33

Behold the Master on that night.

מסעף Shall cut off the branches (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).

lops off the branches with a saw Shall lop off its branches, the root of the branches of his trees. ([Mss. read:] Uproots the branches of his trees.) ([Other mss. read:] Cuts off the branches of his trees.)

פארה Bough. Comp. פארות Branches (Ez. 17:6).

with a saw Heb. בְּמַעֲרָצָה, with a saw that cuts the boughs. This [word פֻּארָה] is not an expression denoting a winepress, for it is not spelled with a ‘vav,’ like (infra 63: 3) “A winepress (פּוּרָה) I trod,” and like (Haggai 2:16) “To draw off fifty measures from the winepress (פּוּרָה),” but with an ‘aleph,’ like (Ezekiel 31:5) “And its boughs became long (פֹּארֹתָיו).” מְסָעֵף is an expression of cutting off branches [esbranchier in O.F.], like (infra 27:10) “And he will destroy its branches (סְעִיפֶיהָ), and (infra 17:6) “On its branches (בִּסְעִיפֶיהָ) the fruitful one.”

במערצה With strength.²³A.V., Terror, Comp. עריץ strong.

with a saw Heb. בְּמַעֲרָצָה, with an implement of destruction, which breaks them.

And the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, etc. The nobles shall be cut off.²⁴The 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.

and those of lofty height [This alludes to] the heroes.

are hewn down The expression of hewing is apropos only to trees and hard things.