Commentaire sur Isaïe 6:13

And when there is yet a tenth And when they are diminished to one out of ten (Rashi ms.)] even upon this remnant will I return My hand as a purge after a purge, and it will be purged until only completely righteous men will remain, who will repent wholeheartedly.

ועוד בה וגו׳ And yet in it shall be, etc. According to some: Ten more kings will rule over Judah before the exile, and then ושבה והיתה לבער it^18*The kingdom. shall again be removed¹⁹A. V., Shall return and shall be eaten.: comp. ובערת And thou shalt put away (Deuter. 21:21); others compare לבער with תבערו You shall kindle (Exod. 35:3)—and the number of kings from that time, Uzziah included, was really ten. Some explain, the tenth part will be left in the land. Grammatically, עשיריה is an adjective, the tenth; but different from עשירית the tenth part; comp. שלישיה (19:24) the third. It is, therefore, clear that עשיריה refers to the number of kings.²⁰עשיריה being an adjective, and the feminine noun מלכות being supplied, the phrase ועוד בה עשיריה וגו״ is explained by I. E., But yet in it shall be a tenth reign, and then it shall again, etc.

like the terebinth and like the oak which, at the time of their casting, when they cast off their leaves during the fall, one casting after another casting, until nothing is left in it except the trunk, they too, the holy seed found in its midst, adhering to their holiness, they will be to Me as the trunk; another explanation of מַצַּבְתָּהּ is: its planting. Therefore, I will not destroy them, for I planted them as holy seed. Some explain that there was a Shallecheth Gate in Jerusalem, as it is stated in Ezra (I Chron. 26:16, written by Ezra), and there, terebinths and oaks were planted.

אשר בשלכת Which were in Shalecheth.²¹A. V., When they cast their leaves. Two trees were in the gate Shalecheth, which were exceedingly strong.^21*The gate Shalecheth is mentioned 1 Chr. 26:16; but for the two trees no other authority is known than the oak and terebinth of this verse. Those that take לשכת ═ שלכת are wrong, as well as those that derive it from השליך he cast; for whoever is able to say such things has no knowledge of grammar.²²שלכת is a form derived from the Piel; but השליך is Hiphil; this is however, no valid objection, since the Piel has often the meaning of the Hiphil.

מצבת בם Substance is in them. They will still remain and stand firmly for ever; the comparison of the people with a tree is by no means uncommon; comp. for as the days of a tree, etc. (65:22).

Holy seed will be the substance thereof. Holy seed will they be that will remain after that. Those that would come back from the Babylonian exile are here hinted at.