Tafsiran Yesaya 10:33: Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi & Ibn Ezra

“Lo, the Sovereign Lord of Hosts, etc.” [10:33]. Thus, God the Lord cut off the strong branches with the roots and the tall tree in the forest. That is to say, the strong kings and ministers who are branches of Sennacherib. The Holy One cut them down and destroyed them.

Behold the Master on that night.

מסעף Shall cut off the branches (סעיפים). Comp. לא תפאר Thou shalt not take off the crown (פאר, Deut. 24:20); ושרשך And he will take away thy root (Ps. 52:7).

lops off the branches with a saw Shall lop off its branches, the root of the branches of his trees. ([Mss. read:] Uproots the branches of his trees.) ([Other mss. read:] Cuts off the branches of his trees.)

with a saw Heb. בְּמַעֲרָצָה, with a saw that cuts the boughs. This [word פֻּארָה] is not an expression denoting a winepress, for it is not spelled with a ‘vav,’ like (infra 63: 3) “A winepress (פּוּרָה) I trod,” and like (Haggai 2:16) “To draw off fifty measures from the winepress (פּוּרָה),” but with an ‘aleph,’ like (Ezekiel 31:5) “And its boughs became long (פֹּארֹתָיו).” מְסָעֵף is an expression of cutting off branches [esbranchier in O.F.], like (infra 27:10) “And he will destroy its branches (סְעִיפֶיהָ), and (infra 17:6) “On its branches (בִּסְעִיפֶיהָ) the fruitful one.”

with a saw Heb. בְּמַעֲרָצָה, with an implement of destruction, which breaks them.

and those of lofty height [This alludes to] the heroes.