Commento su Isaia 13:25

The harsh prophecy of Babylon The prophecy of the retribution which [will fall] upon Babylon.

The fall of Babylon is recorded after the ruin of Assyria, because it was Babylon that conquered Assyria.¹According to Ktesias, the Babylonians under Nabopolassar, with the Medes under Cyaxares, captured and destroyed Nineveh about 606 B.C.

On a tranquil mountain raise a banner to gather. On a tranquil, trusting, undisturbed mountain, raise a banner to the nations and raise your voice to those gathering, that they come upon it.

נשפה High. According to some related to נֶשֶׁף (5:11) dimness;²הד נשפה Lit. dark mountain, that is, a high mountain, the summit of which seems to be dark. more correctly it may be compared with שְׁמׇיׅם heights (41:18), נ in that case being the characteristic of the Niphal; in both cases it means high; or the word must be considered as hap. leg.

wave your hand Wave your hand to the distant ones who cannot hear, and let them see the waving of the hand and enter the gates of the nobles, of the princes of Babylon.

For them. For those that come to attack Babylon.

the gates Heb. פִּתְחֵי. As though it would say, בְּפִתְחֵי, into the gates. Comp. (Gen. 38:11) “Stay as a widow in your father’s house (בֵּית אָבִיךְ),” interpreted as בְּבֵיתאָבִיךְ. Menachem ben Seruk (Machbereth Menachem p. 147) interpreted it as swords. Comp. (Psalms 55:22) “And they are drawn swords (פְּתִיחוֹת).”

That they may go into the gates of the nobles. They shall come and march at once into the country; they will undoubtedly conquer it.

I commanded My appointed ones that they come and commence to incite them, and they are Persia and Media, the men of Cyrus and Darius, whom I appointed for this.

I. God is speaking.

I summoned My heroes to [execute] My wrath To execute My wrath upon them, for they rejoice in My pride that I boast of them.

למקדשי Those that are appointed by me for the purpose. ³A. V., My sanctified ones.

That rejoice in my highness. That are glad to show my might, or, whom I caused to rejoice in the power I gave them.

קול המון A resounding voice.⁴A. V., The noise of a multitude. It is the nature of mountains to echo the sound of words uttered by any person, and this echo is alluded to by the expression קול המון. The root of המון is המה resound; comp. הומה being in an uproar (1 Kings 1:41). The prophet explains also what this noise among the kingdoms of the heathen people signifies; Cyrus, the king of Persia, and Darius, the king of Media, became allies in a war against Babylon; this is distinctly stated in Daniel.⁵The passages referred to are : The kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians (Dan. 5:28), And Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old (ib. 6:1.) On the latter verse I. E. remarks, It is known that Cyrus took Babylon, as stated in Isaiah; Cyrus is therefore called the king of Babylon (Ezra 5:13), but Darius the Mede, his father-in-law, was, as we learn from the history of Persia and Media, his ally, and was made by him viceroy of Babylon. They were both kings of Babylon at the same time, but it was by order of Cyrus, the king of kings, that the Jews returned to Jerusalem after the fall of Babylon.

מפקד He is appointing officers, or, he is causing to number; comp. פקודים number. The word מפקד governs two accusatives.⁶According to the first explanation, מפקד is a denominative from פקיד officer; according to the second it is derived from פקד to number. מפקדים in the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of מגזרת פְּקֻדִים.

and the weapons of His fury They are the mighty men of Media and Persia.

They come from a far country. They come from the country of Elam.⁷The Elam mentioned by I. E. cannot be the Elam of Dan. 8:2, the Persian province with the capital Susa, which is in the immediate neighbourhood of Babylonia, and by no means more entitled to be called a far country with regard to Babylon than Media, named in this same chapter (ver. 17.) The remark of I. E. is probably based on Is. 21:2, Go up, Elam, &c. and he seems to suppose that there was, besides the west Persian province Elymais, including Susiana, Dan. 8:2, another Elam or Elymais, an independent state in the north and east of Media and Persia (comp. Jer. 49:34, Ez. 32:24). The Elamites, warlike Semitic tribes (comp. Gen. 14:1, 10:22), had spread over the whole of the country between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and left here and there traces of their conquests. Hence the Elymais, in the west of Persia, and another Elymais, in the north of Media; hence the great uncertainty and discrepancy among the ancient geographers and historians concerning the extent and position of Elymais. (See Smith’s Dict. of Greek and Rom. Geogr. sub voce Elymais; Niebuhr, Assur and Babel, p. 382, ff.) From the end of heaven. As if they came from the extremity of heaven; that is, they come from a great distance.

to destroy all the land of Babylonia.

The Lord cometh. The decrees of the Lord are coming, they will soon be fulfilled. And the weapons of His indignation. Persia and Media.

like a raid Like a day of plunder, from the Holy One, blessed be He, it shall come.

משדי From the Almighty. This destruction shall come from the Almighty, and who shall be able to prevent it? According to others: From a destroying hero (שודד ═ שדי), but the former explanation is the right one.⁸The second explanation is rejected, probably because there is no instance of שדי being used in that sense.

all hands of the Babylonians.

All hands, viz., of the Babylonians.

pangs and throes (צִירִים וַחֲבָלִים) These are expressions of pains of a woman who kneels to give birth, for the hinges (צִירִים) of her womb break apart to open.

פני להבים A face of flames. A face burnt by the intensity of the pains. According to others: The face of the Lehabim;⁹Comp. Genesis 10:13. Lehabim being the name of a nation similar to the Ethiopians.

they shall writhe Heb. יְחִילוּן. חִיל, חַלְחָלָה are expressions of shivering.

each man shall be amazed at his fellow The Babylonians will be amazed at those who advanced against them, for they are peculiar.

their faces are faces of flames A nation whose faces are red and very frightful, [or alternatively, because they are a pensive people, and he compares the Babylonians to them because of the amazement.]

and its sinners Heb. וְחַטָּאֶיהָ, similar to חוֹטְאֶיהָ.

אכזרי Cruel. The י is paragogic, as in ¹⁰The י in פנימי is not of the same kind as that in אכזרי, as stated by I. E. himself (Moznaim, On the Hirek); in his commentary on Lev. 16:21, he quotes פנימי as an instance of an adjective with יו״ד להתיחס, a formative י to indicate relation. In his Safah Berurah (p. 29), however, he quotes פנימי and אכזרי as two instances of the paragogic יו״ד נוסף) י). This discrepancy seems to have its origin in the use of the word נוסף additional in two different meanings, (a) not radical but formative; (b) not essential but superfluous. פנימי inner (1 Kings 6:27).

The land, viz., of the Chaldæans.

and its constellations Similar to מַזָּלוֹתֵיהֶם.

וכסיליהם According to some, כְּסִיל is the name of the star which is nearest to the south pole, at the sight of which the camels die.¹¹The star near the south pole is seen by the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere only in the midst of the summer, when the camels are exposed to the greatest heat. The name of the star is, according to I. E. (on Amos 5:8) Edom in Hebrew, Sahil in Arabic; it is now known by the name Kanopus. My opinion is¹²Concerning the four constellations mentioned in the Bible חַדְרֵי תֵימׇן עׇשׁ כְּסִיל כִּימׇה (Amos 5:4, Job 9:9, 38:31), I. E. gives the following explanation: חדרי תימן Kanopus and the stars round him; עש the Great Bear; כסיל the Heart of the Scorpion; כימה the left eye of the Taurus. (In his Kele Nehosheth, a description of an astronomical instrument and its use, כימה is identified with Algadia, or the Haedi in the Auriga.) These four constellations occupy, according to I. E. the four most important spots of the celestial sphere; namely, עש is near the north pole; חדרי תימן near the south pole; כסיל near the south equinoctial point; כימה near the north equinoctial point. At present, however, the latter two are not near the mentioned points, because of the eastward motion of the Zodiac, which amounts in a hundred years nearly to one degree and a half. that כסיל is the Heart of the Scorpion constellation; it is, however, possible that כסילים in this verse—comp. כְּסׇלִים flanks (Lev. 3:4)—signifies the stars near the poles.¹³This derivation is also mentioned, and, as it seems, adopted by I. E. in his commentary on Lev. (3:4.) A distinction is therefore to be made between the singular כסיל the Heart of the Scorpion, and the plural כסילים the stars on the sides or flanks of the two poles, hinted at in the dual form of the preceding שׇׁמַיׅם. (Comp. I. E., Sefer hashem, 100:1.) R. Jonah remarks that there is only one star named כסיל, and that here, in the plural כסילים, other stars are included; comp. בתי השן the houses of ivory (Am. 3:15).¹⁴R. Jonah is here not censured so severely as in the commentary on Amos 4:15. I. E. says there—of course only for the sake of a play of words, in which he frequently indulges, not with the intention to offend—הוא בשמים רבים הם בארץ והוא אחד מהם אם כסיל אחד. R. Jonah thinks that there was only one house of ivory in the days of Amos, namely the one built by king Ahab (1 Kings 22:39), because no mention is made of any other such house. The plural בתי השן houses of ivory must, according to his opinion, include houses which were not of ivory. This opinion is justly—though too harshly—rejected by I. E.

illuminate Heb. יָהֵלּוּ. They shall illuminate, and so (Job 29:3), “When his lamp shone,” (בְּהִלּוֹ)” (ibid. 31:26). The light when it shone brightly (יָהֵל).

יׇהֵלּוּ They will let shine.¹⁵A. V. Will shine. Its form is like that of וַיׇחֵלּוּ and they began (Judg. 20:31). Its root is הלל, and it is a transitive verb; comp. בהלו גרו when he lights his candle (Job 29:3).¹⁶A. V. When his candle shined. יַגִּיהַ Shall cause to shine. Likewise a transitive verb, as proved by יַגִּיהַ חׇשְׁכִּי He will enlighten my darkness (Ps. 18:29)

the sun has become dark Because of their distress, it seems to them as though the sun has become dark.

upon the earth On their land.

The world. Cyrus conquered many countries, as he says; All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heavens, hath given me (Ezr. 1:2)

I will make mortal man dearer than fine gold On that night I will honor Daniel more than fine gold. When they brought him to read the writing (Dan. 5:25): “Mene mene tekel ufarsin”; (ibid. 5: 25) “Then Belshazzar ordered, and they dressed Daniel in purple...”

אוקיר I will make precious. A transitive verb; it is Hiphil of יקר to be precious; comp. הוקר רגלך Withdraw (lit.: make rare) thy foot (Prov. 25:17).

more than a collection of the gold of Ophir Heb. מִכֶּתֶם אוֹפִיר, a collection of the gold of Ophir.

A man. The male population, which will perish in war.

I will make heaven quake All their host will quake when I cast down the prince of Babylon, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not punish the nations until He punishes their heavenly princes first, as Scripture states (infra 24:21): “The Lord shall visit upon the heavenly host on high,” and afterwards, “on the kings of the earth on the earth.” Scripture states further (infra 14:12): “How have you fallen from heaven, Lucifer, the morning star?” And then, “You have been cut down to the ground, you who cast lots on nations.” Here too, first, “I will make heaven quake,” and afterwards, “the earth will quake.” Its inhabitants shall quake at the news of its downfall, for they shall be astonished at the event.

Therefore I will shake it, etc. A figurative expression for the fugitive will nowhere find rest.

And he shall be i.e., every inhabitant of Babylon.

And it will be. And the army of the Chaldæans will be

like a roving deer i.e., like a deer roving from its place.

מ֭דׇּח chased, by the pursuers. מֻדׇּח is participle Hophal, like מוקטר burnt¹⁷A. V. Incense. (Mal. 1:11 ) מֻגׇּשׁ offered (ibid.) מֻצׇּב set up (Gen. 28:12)

Everyone who is found outside, shall be stabbed.

He will be pierced. He will find no mercy.

and anyone who takes refuge with the people of the city to be included with them in the siege, shall fall by the sword when the city capitulates. נִסְפֶּה is an expression similar to (Deut. 29:18): “To add the unintentional sins to the lustful ones (סְפוֹת)”; (infra 29:1) “Add year upon year (סְפוּ)”; (Jer. 7:21) “Add (סְפוּ) to your sacrifices.” [akojjlir in O.F.], to join.

נספה That is joined. Participle Niphal.¹⁸The participle Niphal is called by I. E. adjective (שם התואר). Comp. Zahoth, On the Niphal.

shall be dashed Heb. יְרֻטָּשׁוּ. Comp. (verse 18) “Shall dash (תְּרַטַּשְׁנָה) youths.”

תשגלנה They will be ravished. It is read תשכבנה by euphemism.¹⁹שנל had originally a loss offensive meaning. Comp. שֵׁגֶל wife, queen. (Ps. 45:10.); but in the course of time it became a more common and vulgar expression; the Massorites recommended therefore to replace this verb by the less offensive שבב to lie, but only in reading; the written text was of course not altered by them.

Behold I stir up Media against them Darius the Mede assassinated Belshazzar. So Scripture states (Dan. 5:30): “On that very night, Belshazzar...was slain”; (ibid. 6:1) “And Darius the Mede acquired the kingdom.”

The Medes, who are the most cruel people.

and do not desire gold They do not care [for anything,] but to kill and to avenge the harm the kings of Babylon did to all the peoples.

They shall not regard silver, as being of any value; they shall only desire to slaughter.

And the bows of the peoples of Media.

תרטשנה They shall dash to pieces.

youths of Babylon.

shall dash shall split with their arrows that they shoot with their bows.

newborn [lit. fruit of the womb] Frail infants.

And Babylon...shall be Two calamities befell her in two years. Darius assassinated Belshazzar and ruled a year, and in the second year it was turned over like Sodom from heaven. And so we learned in Seder Olam (ch. 28). And in that year the news came concerning Darius, and after him, in the year, the news, and Babylon that was the beauty of the kingdoms...that was the leader and the head of the kingdoms and that was the glory of the pride of the Chaldees now, shall be like the overturning of Sodom.

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms. And Babylon that HAS BEEN the glory of kingdoms; comp. הבית הזה יהיה עליון this house which will HAVE BEEN high (1 Kings 9:8).²⁰The point of comparison seems to be the different use made of the future tense in two successive parts of the same verse. In the verse of the Book of Kings referred to, יהיה is used for the past, while ישום is a proper future; (in the corresponding passage of 2 Chron. 7:21, יהיה is replaced by אשר היה). Here even the same word והיתה is used once as a past and once as a future.

and no Arab shall pitch his tent there Heb. יַהֵל, like יַאֲהֵל. Even Arabs, who customarily dwell in tents and move their livestock from place to place, will not be pleased with Babylon, to set up their tents there, for it will not even be fit for pasture for flocks. And do not wonder about לֹא יַהֵל, which is explained like לֹא יַאֲהֵל, for there are many places in which the sound of the letter is substituted for the letter, and so (Job 35:11), “He teaches us (מַלְפֵנוּ) from the beasts of the earth,” like מְאַלְפֵנוּ, and so, (Prov. 17:4), “A liar hearkens (מֵזִין) to a destructive tongue,” like מַאֲזִין.

לא תשב It shall not be inhabited.

יהל Shall pitch his tent. יאהל ═ יהל Comp. מאזין ═ מזין listening (Prov. 17:4).

ערבי The Arabian. The word has here the same meaning as ערב Jer. 25:22 and Is. 21:3. Even the Arabian, who is accustomed to move from place to place, will not pitch his tent there.

martens Heb. צִיִּים. Jonathan translates: תַּמְוָן, identical with נִמִּיּוֹת [found in the Talmud] martrines in O.F.

צײם Beasts that dwell in the desert (צִיׇה)

ferrets Heb. אֹחִים. I do not know what kind of animal they are. [אֹחִים is an expression of thorns, thistles, and briars.]

אוחים hap. leg. Beasts at whose sight everyone is terrified.²¹This is not the opinion finally adopted by I E.; at the end of the verse he gives another explanation. A. V. Doleful creatures.

and satyrs demons.

בנות יענה Owls. A well known kind of birds.

שעירים Beasts like Shedim;²²In his commentary on Lev. (17:7) I. E. explains שעירים according to the context by שֵׁדִים imaginary beings similar to wild goats, worshipped by superstitious peoples; but here, being mentioned together with wild beasts, it is explained by beasts in the form of Shedim (כדמות שדים). wild goats.²³A. V. Satyrs.

אוחים might also be taken as a kind of birds.

And cats shall dwell in his palaces Heb. וְעָנָה אִיִּים בְּאַלְמְנוֹתָיו. And cats shall dwell in his palaces.

אײם Vultures.²⁴A. V. The wild beasts of the islands. Plural of אַיׇה Vulture (Lev. 11:14).

וְעָנַָה is similar to (Hosea 2:17) “And she shall dwell (וְעָנְתָה) there.” Also (Nahum 2:13) “And his dens (וּמְעוֹנוֹתָיו) with what he had torn.” וְעָנָה may also be interpreted as an expression of raising the voice.

וענה And will sing²⁵A. V. Cry. or And will dwell; comp. מעון habitation (Ps. 26:8). ²⁶A. V. In their desolate houses.

and serpents shall dwell [or howl] in their temples of pleasure.

באלמנותיו According to some the same as בארמנותיו in his palaces; comp. Ez. 19:7; but as the letters—with the exception of אׄ הׄ וֹ יׄ—do not interchange;²⁷This rule is not only not always home in mind by I. E., but often directly contradicted, as e.g., Moznaim, sub voce המתהפכים. it is better to explain the expression thus : And every one of the vultures will sing with his widows.

and her days The days of her flourishing shall not be extended, for Israel was promised (Jer. 29:10): “When seventy years of Babylon are over, I will remember you.” And that remembering will be through Cyrus king of Persia, who will take the kingdom from Babylon after Darius the Mede, for they both, Media and Persia, joined over it, [i.e., over Babylon,] and stipulated between themselves, if the kings are from us, the governors are from you.

ותנים And dragons. Comp. Job 30:29