Commentary for Isaiah 21:8
וַיִּקְרָ֖א אַרְיֵ֑ה עַל־מִצְפֶּ֣ה ׀ אֲדֹנָ֗י אָנֹכִ֞י עֹמֵ֤ד תָּמִיד֙ יוֹמָ֔ם וְעַל־מִ֨שְׁמַרְתִּ֔י אָנֹכִ֥י נִצָּ֖ב כָּל־הַלֵּילֽוֹת׃
And he cried as a lion: ‘Upon the watch-tower, O Lord, I stand continually in the daytime, And I am set in my ward all the nights.’
Rashi on Isaiah
And the lion called That is Habakkuk. אַרְיֵה (lion) has the same numerical value as Habakkuk. Isaiah prophesied that Habakkuk was destined to pray for this and say the following.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
אריה A lion. According to the Midrash, Habakkukis meant, because חבקוק ═ אריה taking the arithmetical value of the letters.17The arithmetical value of the letters of the word אריה, is 1 + 200 + 10 + 5 ═ 216, that of חבקוק, 8 + 2 + 100 + 6 + 100 ═ 216. Our attention is called to this arithmetical equation, as if Isaiah foreshadowed a prophecy of Habakkuk in similar terms. See Rashi ad locum. I think ב must be supplied; comp. אש אוכלה as a consuming fire18A. V., A consuming fire. (Deut. 4:24). The watchman called with a loud voice like a lion.
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Rashi on Isaiah
on the watchtower, O Lord O Lord, my God, I always stand on the watchtower to inform me about this.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
I stand continually upon the watch-tower, to seek prophecy.
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