Comentario sobre Isaías 50:18

ספר כריתות Bill of divorcement.¹The Hebrew text has the words גט כריתות אמכם ובין אשתו. There is no doubt that this passage is corrupt; the original words were perhaps: כריתות אמכם ֗ גט בין איש ובין אשתו; or כריתות ֗ גט ׃ אמכם ֗ ובין אישה the latter suggestion has been adopted for the translation.

Of your mother and her husband.—This verse seems to contradict the prophecy of Jeremiah, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce (3:8); but in fact the latter refers to the kingdom of the ten tribes which will never again be established; comp. She shall no more rise (Am. 5:2); but Isaiah speaks of the kingdom of the house of David, which will be restored by Messiah.

Why have I come to draw near to you, and none of you turns to Me?

Wherefore when I come, etc. This verse proves that already prophets have tried to make Israel return to the Lord.

Behold I dry up, etc. This proves that the power of God will not fail in redeeming Israel.

I clothe the heavens The host of the heavens, the princes of the heathens (nations [Mss. and K’li Paz]), when I come to mete out retribution upon the nations.

מלבוש קדרׂות ═ קדרות With black cloth,²A. V., With blackness. See c. xlix. Note 23. that is, with clouds. Some understand it to refer to an eclipse of the sun, when the sky becomes obscure in the middle of the day, and appears as if covered with sackcloth, which is usually black.

gave me a tongue for teaching Isaiah was saying, The Lord sent me and gave me a tongue fit to teach, in order to know to establish a time for the faint and thirsty to hear the words of the Holy One, blessed be He.

The Lord hath given me, etc. The first person refers to the prophet.

to establish times Heb. לָעוּת. Menahem classified it in the group of (Ps. 119:126) “It is time (עֵת) to do for the Lord.” To establish times for them.

למודים Learning.³A. V., Learned.³A. V., Learned⁴The noun which is described by this attribute must be supplied; the adjective may therefore be considered as a substantive meaning the pupils. See c. iii. Note 5.. It is an adjective; comp. למד מדבר used to the wilderness (Jer. 2:24); כלמדים as the pupils (at the end of this verse).

He awakens my ear He awakens my ear with His Holy Spirit.

לדעת לעות את יעף דבר That I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. The infinitive לעות is governed by לדעת to know; it is derived from עת time, or it is hap. leg.⁵The Hebrew text seems here to be corrupt. The words והנה לעות לשון עת are written twice, and the explanation of the word יעף which should follow that of לעות, is put in the middle. It may therefore be suggested, that the words והנה לעות לשון עת או היא מלה זרה אין רע לה were intended to be substituted for והנה לעות לשון עת, but were by some misunderstanding misplaced, while the original phrase was allowed to occupy its position. The translation has been made according to this supposition. By him that is weary, the pupil is meant, who has a hard lesson to learn,⁶The Hebrew text has דברים קיצים, but יצ seems to be nothing but a mutilated ש; and the original form of the phrase probably was דברים קשים difficult things. of which he soon becomes tired and weary.

to hear according to the teachings According to the custom of the teachings, the truth and that which is proper.

He wakeneth, etc. The Lord stirreth me up every morning; he stirreth up my ear that I may listen as pupils do; for I am a pupil of the Lord.

opened my ear and let me hear (supra 6:8), “Whom shall I send?” I sent Amos, and they called him ‘pesilus.’ I sent Micah, etc., as is stated in Pesikta of ‘Nachamu nachamu.’

The Lord God hath opened mine ear, etc. Since the Lord hath opened mine ear, and revealed His plan to me, I have not objected to be His messenger.

and I did not rebel going on His mission, neither did I turn away backwards, but I said, “Here I am; send me” (ibid.).

I gave my back to smiters He said to me, Isaiah, My children are obstinate; My children are bothersome. [You may go] on the condition that you do not become angry with them. I said to Him, On that condition.

I gave my back, etc. I did not care that I had to expose my back to strokes for the sake of His name.

But the Lord God helps me if they rise up against me.

I shall not be ashamed. God will fulfil all the words prophesied by me.

He Who vindicates me is near The Holy One, blessed be He, is near to me to vindicate me in judgment.

Near is, etc. Near is the time, when I shall appear as justified in my prophecies; then I shall say, Who will, etc.

a moth Heb. עָשׁ, the worm of the clothing.

Behold the Lord, etc. Since God assists me, who will condemn me ? And all those that condemn me by their words, they will wax old as a garment. יבלו They shall wax old. They shall perish.

to the voice of His servant To the voice of the prophets.

Who is amongst you, etc. The prophet now addresses those same people, that condemn him.

who went in darkness Even if trouble comes upon him, let him trust in the name of the Lord, for He shall save him.

That walked in darkness, etc. The relative pronoun refers to ירא יי him that feareth the Lord. The meaning of the sentence is, Who is among you, etc., that does not run after material honours and pleasures; let him trust in the Lord, etc.⁷According to this explanation, vers. 10 qualifies the term כלם all of them of the preceding verse. If there be among them any one that acts according to the words of the Lord taught by the prophet, he may trust in the Lord, that he will be saved, and will not be involved in the threatened punishment. According to others, the words that walketh in darkness, describe His servant, the prophet,⁸According to this explanation, this verse contains a rhetorical question, establishing the correctness of the term all of them. There is none among them that acts according to the words of the prophet, who is described here to be walking in darkness, that is, to be exposed to all kinds of trouble and annoyance, but who trusts in the Lord that he will surely be relieved of it. and the meaning of the whole sentence is, Who is among you, etc., that is, there is none among you, that feareth the Lord, because you see the prophet obtaining no honours from the people. This is the right explanation, and it is confirmed by the words which follow.

Behold all of you who do not hearken to the voice of His prophets.

זיקות Sparks. The meaning of the word must be found from the context.⁹First, it corresponds to אש fire in the parallel phrase; secondly, it is connected with the verb בערתם ye have kindled. מאזרי Who compass yourselves.¹⁰The verb אזר to compass about, governs two accusatives, the one, זיקות sparks, is the thing which is put round, the other, נפשבם yourselves, which is understood, is the thing round which it is put By the omission of נפשכם the verb becomes similar to a reflective verb.

who kindle fire of His wrath upon yourselves.

This. This decree.

and give power to flames Who strengthen the flames; they are sparks and burning coals that are cast up with a slingshot. It has a cognate in the Aramaic tongue, זִיקוּקִין דְּנוּר, flames of fire (Ber. 58b), so many slingers (זִיקָתָא) are assigned to us (Baba Mezia 94a) [frondeles in O.F., sling].

למעצבה תשכבון Ye shall lie down in sorrow. You shall die in sorrow. Comp. וישכב דוד and David slept, that is, and David died (1 Kings 2:10); there are, besides, a great many instances of the use of the verb שכב in this sense.

go in the flame of your fire According to your way, you will be punished.

from My hand shall this retribution come to you.