Commentary for Isaiah 40:26
שְׂאוּ־מָר֨וֹם עֵינֵיכֶ֤ם וּרְאוּ֙ מִי־בָרָ֣א אֵ֔לֶּה הַמּוֹצִ֥יא בְמִסְפָּ֖ר צְבָאָ֑ם לְכֻלָּם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יִקְרָ֔א מֵרֹ֤ב אוֹנִים֙ וְאַמִּ֣יץ כֹּ֔חַ אִ֖ישׁ לֹ֥א נֶעְדָּֽר׃ (ס)
Lift up your eyes on high, And see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their host by number, He calleth them all by name; By the greatness of His might, and for that He is strong in power, Not one faileth.
Rashi on Isaiah
who created these All the host that you will see on high.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
Who hath created these, these creatures that are here; and who is it, that bringeth out their host with number every day. This phrase refers to the daily apparent coming and going of the stars. It may also refer to the planets, each of which has its circuit defined by a number, which is known to the Almighty, but unknown hitherto to the wise men of the East and to all astronomers.57The use of the expression the wise men of the East for men possessing the highest degree of wisdom is derived from the words And Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the children of the East. (1 Kgs. 5:10). —The number referred to in I. E.’s remark (מספר צאת) is the number of the revolutions each planet has completed since its creation. This number, he says, is unknown to all philosophers and astronomers; but if the era of the creation, which is generally adopted by the Jews, and which places the creation in the year 3760 before the commencement of the Christian era, is correct, it cannot be difficult to find the number of the revolutions of each planet. I. E. seems, therefore, to doubt the correctness of the number 3760. He adds, however, another explanation, referring the number to the fixed stars, which, in fact, no man was ever able to count, nor did any ever profess to be able. It is, however, possible, that the prophet refers to the number of stars in the highest sphere,58Each of the planets is considered to move in and by a certain sphere (גלגל) ; there are seven spheres for the seven (then known) planets; another for the Zodiac, and the ninth for the other fixed stars, which is most distant from or highest above the earth. See c. vi. Note 5. which no man, however wise, is able to tell.
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Rashi on Isaiah
because of His great might that He has, and that He is strong in power, no one of His host is missing, that He does not call by name.
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
By the greatness of might, which He possesses; and for that He is strong in power,
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Ibn Ezra on Isaiah
not one faileth to be numbered, or to preserve its substance; for no star is ever annihilated. איש signifies here an individual; comp. והאיש גבריאל (Dan. 9:21).59The proof is here taken from איש being used to signify an angel; an angel is not a human being; איש, our author concludes, must therefore have the more general meaning an individual, a being.
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