Commentaire sur Isaïe 16:15

Send lambs of the ruler of the land Be not proud. Do you not know that the ruler of your land, Mesha, king of Moab, (II Kings 3:4) was a sheepman; and he would repeatedly pay tribute to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs. Send those lambs of your ruler from Sela Midbarah to the mountain of the community of Zion.

כר The dromedary.¹A. V., The lamb. A species of camel, that runs swiftly; comp. הכרי the swift messenger²Literally, the rider on the dromedary or its leader. See I. E. on Gen. 31:34. (2 Kings 11:19). According to some, הכר the dromedary, is called מושל ארץ the ruler of the earth, because its strides over the ground are the greatest;³R. Jonah Ibn Ganah is mentioned by Kimchi as the author of this opinion. but it is more correct to say that כר is in the construct state: the animal is found only in the possession of monarchs.⁴I. E. means to say that only princes kept such animals for their messengers; either because they were expensive, or because only the princes wanted them for the transmission of important state-messages; and that therefore the expression is used: The dromedary of the ruler of the land. According to this opinion, we must assume that the word כר dromedary is here used instead of כרי the rider.

like a wandering bird from its nest.

והיה And he⁵A. V., It. shall be. The Moabite shall be.

driven from the nest like young birds driven from their nest, who roam and wander, so shall the villages of Moab wander to the fords of the Arnon.

The daughters of Moab. The villages. Comp. Num. 21:32

deliberate judgment This is an expression of a debate of judgment, to choose for yourself what is good. Comp. (Job 34:4) “Let us choose for ourselves what is just.” [derajjsnement in O.F., discernment.]

Take counsel, etc. The prophet says to Moab, Before this misfortune befalls thee, take counsel for thyself.

make like the night your shadow Make yourself a shadow at noon that will darken your shadow like night, to hide therein from before your enemies.

פלילה Judgment. The form of the word is like that of אכילה eating (1 Kings 21:32); comp. פלילים judges (Deut. 32:21).

conceal the exiles If the exiles of My people flee again through your land in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, do not turn them over to the Chaldees but conceal them.

Thy shadow. To hide the Israelites, when they take refuge with thee. נדחים Outcasts. People that are banished from their home.

נודד Him that wandereth, without being banished.⁶The difference between נדח and נודד is probably derived from the fact that the former is a passive form, participle Niphal, the latter active, participle Kal. Bewray not, when he cometh unto thee.

May My exiles sojourn among you The fleeing children of Israel.

Mine outcasts. The outcasts, who are the brethren of the prophet, or who are the people of the Lord.⁷The first person used by a prophet may be referred to the prophet that speaks, or to God in whose name he speaks, and whose words he faithfully communicates to us. It is certainly flattering attribute assigned to the Israelites.

become a hiding place for them for you too shall know the soul of the wanderers, what their distress is.

The spoiler, who had conquered Samaria, viz., the king of Assyria.

for the milking has come to an end Your squeezing, your wealth and your glory, which you had through your flocks and your cattle, from which you would squeeze milk and cream.

For the extortioner, etc. For there shall yet be a time, when this tyrant will perish and oppression cease.

the udders have vanished Heb. כָּלָה שֹׁד, an expression of breasts that supply milk. Comp. (infra 60:16) “And the breast of (וְשֹׁד) the kings you shall suck.”

המץ The extortioner. A transitive adjective; root מצץ to suck, or to press; comp. תמצו You press out (66:11).

the tramplers have ceased Your animals that trample [the earth] in your land.

They are gone. The armies of the oppressor, the king of Assyria, are gone.⁸The plural of the verb תמו does not agree with the singular רומס; I. E. supplies therefore the word מחנות armies, as the noun governing the genitive רומם of the oppressor.

And the throne shall be established through lovingkindness When this destruction comes upon you, then the throne of David shall be established and magnified, for at that time, Sennacherib shall meet his downfall through Hezekiah, whose throne shall be established through the lovingkindness that he shall perform, as we find that he bestowed lovingkindness, as it is stated in II Chron. (30:24): “For Hezekiah, king of Judah provided for the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep.”

בחסד For the piety⁹The throne will be established as a reward for the piety of Hezekiah. A. V., In mercy, (of Hezekiah).

and there shall sit...one who judges and demands justice and performs righteousness Heb. וּמְהִר צֶדֶק. Jonathan renders: and performs justice.

The throne of royalty.

In the tabernacle of David. In Jerusalem.

A judge. Hezekiah.

מהיר Quick.¹⁰A. V., hasting. Root מהר to be quick; comp. מהרה quickly.

they have become very proud Heb. גֵּא מְאֹד, [lit.] he has become very proud.

We have heard. The prophet represents now the Israelites or the other nations as speaking.

their pride and their haughtiness are improper, for the source of the nurturing of their branches was through illegitimacy and the incest of the daughters from their father.

נא Proud. The omission of the ה is irregular.¹¹Root גאה to be proud. Kimchi compares נֵּאֶה ═ נֵּא with רֵעֶה ═ רֵעַ friend.

and their conception Heb. וְעֶבְרָתוֹ, their conception, [lit. his conception.] Alternatively, עֶבְרָתוֹ means “his anger,” the anger they bore for Israel.

לא כן בדיו His branches¹²A. V., lies. Branches is a figurative expression for children: the meaning of the whole phrase is, his children will not be as proud as he is. will not be so. Comp. בדים branches (Ez. 17:6). Others render בדיו his thoughtsand כן right; comp. Num. 27:7. As to בדיו his thoughtscomp. בדיך thy words (Job 11:3)

improper Their heroes acted improperly, for they were unappreciative.

Therefore, Moab shall wail for Moab [lit. to Moab,] for Moab.

לאשישי קיר חרשת תהגו אך נכאים Some explain, For the foundations of Kir Haresheth shall you mourn, Surely they are stricken; that is, they will think of the present ruins of Kir Haresheth, when people will speak of their former grandeur. As to אשישי foundations, comp. the Chaldæan אֻשַׁיָא the foundations (Ezra 4:12). I, however, prefer to connect לאשישי with אשישי flagons (Hos. 3:1), since the vine of Sibma is mentioned immediately afterwards, and to explain the passage thus—When you will remember the joyful days of the past, which are a contrast to the distress now prevailing, you will lament that you are stricken.¹³In both explanations the words אך נבאים are the words uttered by the Moabites in their grief; in the first we have to supply הֶם they, that is the foundations; in the second אנחנו we.

for the walls of Kir-hareseth Heb. לַאֲשִׁישֵׁי, for the walls of Kir-hareseth. for the walls Comp. (Jer. 50:15) “Her walls (אָשְׁיוֹתֶיהָ) fell.”

shall you lament, but broken-hearted Heb. נְכָאִים, broken.

shall you lament Heb. תֶּהֶגּוּ.

grain fields Heb. שַׁדְמוֹת.

שדמות Vine trees.¹⁴A. V., Fields. Comp. Deut. 32:32.

the vine of Sibmah We can deduce that Heshbon was a place of fields and Sibmah a place of vineyards. Now if you ask, All these are cities of the east side of the Jordan, and Israel took them from the hands of Sihon. Now when did they return to the hands of Moab? When Sennacherib exiled the Reubenites and the Gadites, the neighboring Moabites came and settled in them.

אמלל Languisheth.¹⁵A. V., Languish. Each of them languisheth.¹⁶See c. ii., Note 18.

has become desolate Heb. אֻמְלָל, has become desolate.

בעלי גוים The chief of nations.¹⁷A. V., The lords of the heathen. Comp.¹⁸The instances quoted are to prove the use of the plural of nouns denoting master or lord in reference to an individual. אדני יוסף the master of Joseph (Gen. 39:20). לבעליו to his owner (Ex. 21:34). The king¹⁹The Hebrew text has והם מלכי אשור, The kings of Assyria are meant, but the instances quoted by I. E. show that בעלי signifies chief, not chiefs. We must therefore read either והוא מלך אשור, And this is the king of Assyria, or או הם מלכי אשור, or the kings of Assyria are meant thereby. In the latter case a second explanation is given, which leaves to the plural בעלי its proper meaning chiefs. of Assyria is meant by בעלי הגוים the chief of nations.

its saplings its choice saplings.

הלמו Have broken down. Root הלם to smite; comp. והלמה And she smote (Judg. 5:26).

they reached as far as Jazer The grain fields and the vine and the saplings mentioned here are merely an allegory. They represent camps, companies, and rulers [in the days of these peoples]. So did Jonathan paraphrase it.

They are come even unto Jazer. They are so long.

they reached as far as Jazer they went into exile.

They wandered into the wilderness. They extended beyond the boundaries of the inhabited land.

they strayed to the desert lit. they strayed the desert.

שלוחתיה Her trees.²⁰A. V., Her branches. Comp. שלחיך פרדס דמונים thy plants an orchard of pomegranates (Song 4:13).

its tendrils its branches; and they are the symbol of its exiles.

נטשו They spread. Comp. נטושים spread (2 Sam. 30:16)

spread out Heb. נִטְּשׁוּ, scattered. Comp. (Ezekiel 29:5) “And I will scatter you (וּנְטַשְׁתִּיךָ) in the desert”; (I Sam. 30: 16) “And behold, they were scattered (נְטוּשִׁים)”; (II Sam. 5:22) “And spread out (וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ) in the valley of Rephaim.”

I will weep with the weeping of Jazer Jonathan paraphrases: As I brought camps upon Jazer, so will I bring killers upon Sibmah, and, according to the wording of the verse, the prophet states: Similar to the lamentations of Jazer, I have to lament over you, the vine of Sibmah.

I will bewail. These are the words which every Moabite will speak.

I will be sated over you with my tears Heb. אַרְיָוֶךְ, I will be sated over you. There are some words that serve as two words. Comp. (Jer. 10:20) “My children went out of me (יְצֵאוּנִי)”; (Jos. 15:19) “A dry land you have given to me (נְתַתָּנִי)”; (Gen. 37:4) “To speak to him (דַּבְּרוֹ) peacefully.”

Sibma. Name of a place; supply על for.²¹Before נפן For the vine of Sibma.

your figs Heb. (קִיצֵךְ), the figs that are dried out in the summer.

אריוך I will water thee. An irregular form; י is instead of ו, and ו instead of ה; the pronominal suffix of the second person refers to Heshbon, the largest province of Moab.

a shout the noise of robbers and spoilers.

קיצך Thy summer fruit. Thy fruit of the summer (קַיִץ).

הידד Hedad. A word used by those that stamp and trample about, causing damage to the fruits and the com while they are still fresh.²²According to I. E. קיץ and קציר denote here the fruits and corn, while not yet fit for the press and threshing floor; and Hedad, an interjection uttered by people running and trampling about, indicates therefore the destruction of the harvest caused by the hostile armies; but Hedad in the next verse accompanying the treading and pressing of the grapes in the wine-press, is the cause of rejoicing to the owner of the vineyard.

from the fruitful field Heb. כַּרְמֶל. That is a place of a forest and grain fields.

The gladness is gathered, to be taken away from them and given to others; it will leave them.

no shout Heb. יְרֹעָע, an expression of a shout of (תְּרוּעַת) joy.

The Karmel. A part of which belonged to Moab.²³Mount Karmel is generally believed to be in the west of Palestine, a promontory on the Mediterranean sea. I. E. supposes perhaps the existence of another Mount Karmel in the east of the Jordan, between the land of Moab and Israel.

the shout have I abolished the voice of those assembled to lay the beam to press the grapes.

ירועע He will shout. Comp. תרועה blowing the trumpet (Lev. 23:24); ירועע is Polel of a verb הידד.²⁴Root רוע to shout.

ע״ו Hedad. The hedad is pleasant, when it is heard at the wine press, at the time when the wine is produced; but its effect is of an opposite character, when it is heard in the midst of the fresh fruits and corn.²²According to I. E. קיץ and קציר denote here the fruits and corn, while not yet fit for the press and threshing floor; and Hedad, an interjection uttered by people running and trampling about, indicates therefore the destruction of the harvest caused by the hostile armies; but Hedad in the next verse accompanying the treading and pressing of the grapes in the wine-press, is the cause of rejoicing to the owner of the vineyard.

shall moan in lamentation.

Wherefore my heart, etc. These are not the words of the prophet, but of the Moabites, whom the prophet represents as speaking.

that Moab has wearied on the high place to wage war on the high places of the towers.

Moab is weary, etc. He is tired of going up to the high place for the worship of idols; or it is to be taken in the same sense as ולא יוכל And he shall not prevail. The second explanation is preferable.²⁵According to the first explanation, the Moabites visit the high place so often, that they are tired of it; they see that it is without any use for them. According to the second, they wish to worship on the high places, but they are weary before reaching them, because of the continual trouble and anxiety caused by the enemy.

and he shall enter his sanctuary to the place where they prepare themselves and ready themselves there to pray.

This is the word the end of Moab’s destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.

Hath spoken. His word is His decree.²⁶The decrees of the Lord are according to I. E. not mere words, but facts; they are the first step towards their realisation. The expression hath spoken, is a figure taken from the custom of a king, who gives the orders to his servants. The figure is used in order to bring the idea of the divine decree nearer to our understanding.

that the Lord spoke concerning Moab long ago Many days before the calamity came upon it, Isaiah prophesied this about it. Alternatively, “Long ago,” denotes the time when Balak hired Balaam.

And now, the Lord has spoken to bring the retribution near to them.

But now the Lord hath spoken, etc. God hath now revealed this prediction, namely, that three years are left till the fulfilment of the above prophecy.

In three years like the years of a hireling Because of three years that they aided Sennacherib when he besieged Samaria, and they aided him without compensation, as though they were his hirelings, the glory of Moab shall, therefore, be debased among the rest of Sennacherib’s multitudes, for he swept them away into captivity from the midst of that army and went away. And so it is related in Seder Olam (ch. 23): He swept away the Ammonites and the Moabites who aided him when he besieged Samaria three years, to fulfill what is said: “Three years like the years of a hireling, etc.” It can further be explained as follows: “Three years like the years of a hireling.” Three years were decreed upon you as a reprieve, but they will be exact, and the retribution will not be delayed further, as a hireling is exact with the years of his hire, to limit them.

As the years of a hireling, who daily counts when the end will come; so the prophet is satisfied, when he sees that the time of the calamity of Moab approaches.²⁷Just the contrary remark is made in Rashi on 15:5: that the prophets sympathised with other nations in their calamities. And the glory of Moab. His great armies. ונקלה וגו׳ Shall be diminished, and but very few will remain.²⁸A. V., Shall be contemned, with all that great multitude.

the glory of Moab shall be debased in the eyes of all the great multitude of Sennacherib.

לא כביר Not great,²⁹A. V., Feeble. quantitative; comp. כבירים many (Job 34:24), or Not great, qualitative; the meaning of the phrase is there will not be left of them any great man; comp. כביר great (Job 36:5)

and the remnant The survivors left to Moab.

not many Heb. לוֹא כַּבִּיר, an expression of a large number.