ה֗וֹי עֲטֶ֤רֶת גֵּאוּת֙ שִׁכֹּרֵ֣י אֶפְרַ֔יִם וְצִ֥יץ נֹבֵ֖ל צְבִ֣י תִפְאַרְתּ֑וֹ אֲשֶׁ֛ר עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ גֵּֽיא־שְׁמָנִ֖ים הֲל֥וּמֵי יָֽיִן׃
Celakalah mahkota kecongkakan para pemabuk Efraim, dan bunga yang layu, keindahan kemegahannya, yang ada di puncak lembah yang subur milik orang-orang yang dirobohkan oleh anggur!
Haamek Sheilah
Translator’s note: The Netziv is now going to discuss Isaiah 28:5–13. The verses are set forth here in full to help the reader see the flow of the text, unbroken by the Netziv’s commentary. In order to assist the reader further in distinguishing between the verses and the comments of the Netziv, the verses will be in bold face.
“5. On that day, the Lord of Hosts will be a beautiful crown, a glorious diadem for the remnant of His people. 6. He will be a spirit of justice for those sitting in judgment. and [He will be a spirit] of strength for those who repel attacks at the gate. 7. These too4There are different interpretations of the phrase “these too.” The Netziv appears to interpret this phrase like Rashi, who says it refers to judges and people of stature. reel from wine and stagger from liquor: Priest and prophet stagger from drink, they reel from wine, and are dazed by liquor. Muddled in vision, they fail in judgment…. 9. To whom does He teach knowledge, and to whom does He impart wisdom? To those just weaned from milk and torn from the breast. 10. Commandment by commandment, commandment by commandment; measuring line by measuring line, measuring line by measuring line, a little here, a little there. 11. Indeed, one speaks to this people as with stammering lips and in a foreign language when he tells them: 12. ‘This is the rest; give rest to the weary; and this is the tranquility;’ But they refused to listen. 13. God’s Word to them will be lesson by lesson, line by line, line by line, a little here, a little there, that they may go and fall backward, and be broken, snared, and captured.” The Prophet Isaiah elaborated on this subject in the Book of Isaiah 28:5–13. Since there is no halachah that is [clearly] explicated in the written Scripture, Isaiah had to demonstrate to the Talmudic scholars of his generation the extent to which one must toil in the study of Torah in order to ascertain the true halacha. In his reproach against the [excessive] indulgences of man [at that time,5In Isa. 28:1–4, the Prophet chastises Israel for their excessive indulgence: “Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim… who are smitten down with wine…. The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled….” Isaiah explains how the scholars and judges depend on Divine assistance]: “On that day, the Lord of Hosts will be a beautiful crown, a glorious diadem for the remnant of His people. He will be a spirit of justice for those sitting in judgment.”6Isa. 28:5 and part of verse 6. (For he that sits in the seat of judgment is dependent on Heavenly support, as [Scripture] states, “…in the midst of Judges shall He judge.”7Psalms 22:1. The full text is, “A Psalm of Asaf: God stands in the Divine assembly; in the midst of judges shall He judge.”) [The Prophet continues], “and [He will be a spirit] of strength for those who repel attacks at the gate.”8Isa. 28:6. (It is explained in Tractate Megillah 15b, that this verse has reference to those who thrust and parry [in the battle] of Torah. For the Holy One, Blessed be He, provides a spirit of strength [to enable the scholars to apply] pilpul and to establish the halachah [according to the] true intent of the Torah.) The Prophet then continues [while chastising the scholars for their excessive indulgences]: “These too reel from wine and stagger from liquor,” etc.9Isa. 28:7. The verse continues, “… Priest and prophet stagger with drink and reel with wine, and are dazed by liquor. Muddled in vision, they fail in judgment.” This chastisement continues in verse 8, “Indeed, all tables are so covered with vomit and filth that no place is clean.”
“5. On that day, the Lord of Hosts will be a beautiful crown, a glorious diadem for the remnant of His people. 6. He will be a spirit of justice for those sitting in judgment. and [He will be a spirit] of strength for those who repel attacks at the gate. 7. These too4There are different interpretations of the phrase “these too.” The Netziv appears to interpret this phrase like Rashi, who says it refers to judges and people of stature. reel from wine and stagger from liquor: Priest and prophet stagger from drink, they reel from wine, and are dazed by liquor. Muddled in vision, they fail in judgment…. 9. To whom does He teach knowledge, and to whom does He impart wisdom? To those just weaned from milk and torn from the breast. 10. Commandment by commandment, commandment by commandment; measuring line by measuring line, measuring line by measuring line, a little here, a little there. 11. Indeed, one speaks to this people as with stammering lips and in a foreign language when he tells them: 12. ‘This is the rest; give rest to the weary; and this is the tranquility;’ But they refused to listen. 13. God’s Word to them will be lesson by lesson, line by line, line by line, a little here, a little there, that they may go and fall backward, and be broken, snared, and captured.” The Prophet Isaiah elaborated on this subject in the Book of Isaiah 28:5–13. Since there is no halachah that is [clearly] explicated in the written Scripture, Isaiah had to demonstrate to the Talmudic scholars of his generation the extent to which one must toil in the study of Torah in order to ascertain the true halacha. In his reproach against the [excessive] indulgences of man [at that time,5In Isa. 28:1–4, the Prophet chastises Israel for their excessive indulgence: “Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim… who are smitten down with wine…. The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled….” Isaiah explains how the scholars and judges depend on Divine assistance]: “On that day, the Lord of Hosts will be a beautiful crown, a glorious diadem for the remnant of His people. He will be a spirit of justice for those sitting in judgment.”6Isa. 28:5 and part of verse 6. (For he that sits in the seat of judgment is dependent on Heavenly support, as [Scripture] states, “…in the midst of Judges shall He judge.”7Psalms 22:1. The full text is, “A Psalm of Asaf: God stands in the Divine assembly; in the midst of judges shall He judge.”) [The Prophet continues], “and [He will be a spirit] of strength for those who repel attacks at the gate.”8Isa. 28:6. (It is explained in Tractate Megillah 15b, that this verse has reference to those who thrust and parry [in the battle] of Torah. For the Holy One, Blessed be He, provides a spirit of strength [to enable the scholars to apply] pilpul and to establish the halachah [according to the] true intent of the Torah.) The Prophet then continues [while chastising the scholars for their excessive indulgences]: “These too reel from wine and stagger from liquor,” etc.9Isa. 28:7. The verse continues, “… Priest and prophet stagger with drink and reel with wine, and are dazed by liquor. Muddled in vision, they fail in judgment.” This chastisement continues in verse 8, “Indeed, all tables are so covered with vomit and filth that no place is clean.”
Ibn Ezra
They shall lift up, etc. All commentators agree that from the words, Behold, the Lord maketh, etc. (ver. 1), the prophet refers to the remote future, to the war of Gog and Magog;18Comp. Ez. xxxyiii. and xxxix. Gog is the name of the king of Magog, a country or nation in the north of Palestine (xxxyiii. 15), deriving their origin from Magog, the son of Japheth (Gen. 10:2). only R. Moses Hakkohen refers this prophecy to the king of Assyria, and finds in a feast of fat things (25:6) the indication of the destruction of the hosts of Sennacherib, which remains the subject of the prophecy until the words, Woe to the crown of pride, etc. (28:1).19The words of the Hebrew text are—ועדו הוי עטרת גאות And his proof is taken from the words, ‘Woe to the crown of pride,’ but the proof is not at all clear; for granted even that xxviii. refers to the period of the Assyrian invasion, it cannot be concluded that xxiv.—xxvii. refer to the same period, especially since the last verse of xxvii. seems to be the conclusion of a prophecy (comp. 11:15, 16; 19:23—25). The translation is based on the suggestion, that ועדו is a corruption of the original וְעַד or עַד unto.—
Radak
בתוך אהלו, the letter ה at the end of אהלה, where we would expect the letter ו for the masculine ending “his,” is interpreted (and quoted by Rashi) as an allusion to the ten tribes who have been referred to as אהלה in Amos 6,6, and whose exile has been attributed to their excessive drinking of strong wine both in Isaiah 28,1 and Amos 6,6). From a grammatical perspective, the construction here is not really so unusual