Commentary for Isaiah 3:16
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה יַ֚עַן כִּ֤י גָֽבְהוּ֙ בְּנ֣וֹת צִיּ֔וֹן וַתֵּלַ֙כְנָה֙ נטוות [נְטוּי֣וֹת] גָּר֔וֹן וּֽמְשַׂקְּר֖וֹת עֵינָ֑יִם הָל֤וֹךְ וְטָפֹף֙ תֵּלַ֔כְנָה וּבְרַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם תְּעַכַּֽסְנָה׃
Moreover the LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with stretched-forth necks And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, And making a tinkling with their feet;
Rashi on Isaiah
And the Lord said Concerning the women who governed My people, “Since the daughters of Zion are so haughty...”
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
ומשקרות And wantonly looking about. In Rabbinical literature a woman of this class is called סקרנית (Bereshith Rabba, 100:19).
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Rashi on Isaiah
and winking eyes Heb. וּמְשַׂקְּרוֹת, an expression of looking. Another explanation is: They paint their eyes with vermilion or with blue eye shade.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
וטפוף According to some, Speaking; comp. והטף And prophesy (Ez. 21:2); but the grammatical principles of the Hebrew language will not admit of this explanation ; according to others, Mincing—comp. אטיף, the Chaldæan translation of הציף He made overflow (Deut. 11:8)—‘ moving slowly, like one that swims upon the surface of the water.’ Others, again, derive it from טף Little ones (Est. 3:16), and I incline to this opinion ; walking slowly like a child. 20The first explanation makes טפוף related to נטף, to drop; Hiphil: to speak, to prophesy. The second derives it from צוף ═ טוף, to swim, to go slowly; the third takes it as a denominative from טף, child: to walk like a child.
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Rashi on Isaiah
walking and raising themselves they walk Heb. ותפוף. This is an expression of something floating on another, as (Deut. 11:4): “over whom He caused...to flow (הֵצִיף),” which the Targum renders as אַטֵיף. Thus, a tall one would walk between two short ones, in order to appear to be floating over them (Shabbath 62b). Jonathan, however, renders: and with wigs they surround themselves. They would tie wigs, braids of cut-off hair. They would twist together with their braids so that they would appear thick and broad.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
תעכסנה They put spurs. They wear spurs on their feet, like riding-men; according to some, they make a tinkling with their spurs.
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Rashi on Isaiah
and with their feet they spout venom When they would pass in the street near Jewish youths, they would stamp their feet and hint to them of the affection of the adulteresses, in order to arouse their temptation, like the venom of a serpent. עֶכֶס is the venom of a serpent.
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