פירוש על ישעיהו 41:2

Who aroused from the East one whom righteousness accompanied? Who aroused Abraham to bring him from Aram which is in the East and the righteousness that he would perform that was opposite his feet wherever he went.

ממזרח The man from the east.²A. V., (Who raised up the righteous man) from the East. The ancients refer this expression to Abraham, who defeated the kings (Gen. xiv.), and broke the idols;^2aComp. Bereshith Rabba, xxxviii. especially because of the words the seed of Abraham, my friend, (ver. 8). This is not impossible, but I refer it rather to Cyrus; because all these chapters are connected by their contents; comp. calling a ravenous bird from the east (46:11) and I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come; from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name (41:25); besides, the name of Cyrus is distinctly mentioned 44:28 and 45:1.

He placed nations before him He, Who aroused him to leave his place to cause him to move, He placed before him four kings and their hosts.

From the east, Elam was north-east of Babylon.³Modern geographers describe Elam as rather to the south-east of Babylon. See c. xiii. Note 7.

He gave him dominion Heb. יַרְדְּ, like יַרָדֶּה.

יקראהו He shall meet it or it shall meet him.⁴A. V., Called him.—קראִ means to call; קרה to meet; but this distinction is often neglected, and the two verbs seem to be used indiscriminately. לרגלו To his foot. Wherever he goes.

He made his sword like dust [Jonathan paraphrases:] He cast slain ones before his sword like dust. He suffered his sword to take its toll of casualties as [numerous as] grains of dust, and his bow He suffered to take its toll of casualties who would fall like wind blown stubble.

ומלכים ירד He will appoint rulers over hings.⁵A. V., And made him rule over kings. יַרְדְּ is Hiphil; he will cause to rule; comp. (the Kal) וירר and he shall have dominion (Num. 24:19)

יתן כעפר חרבו he will turn his sword into dust, that is, the sword of every other king. Others explain it: he will make his swords as numerous as the dust,⁶A. V., He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. and his arrows shall fly about as thickly as stubble driven by the wind.