Commento su Isaia 42:26

Behold My servant, I will support him Behold My servant Jacob is not like you, for I will support him.

My servant. Most of the commentators refer this expression to the pious Israelites; the Gaon to Cyrus; I to the prophet, who speaks here of himself, as in 49:6.

My chosen one Israel is called ‘My chosen one’ ([mss.:] His chosen one) (Ps. 135:4) “For the Eternal chose Jacob for Himself.” Scripture states also (infra 45:4): “For the sake of My servant Jacob and Israel My chosen one.”

My spirit of prophecy.

whom My soul desires; I have placed My spirit upon him to let his prophets know My secret, and his end will be that ‘he shall promulgate justice to the nations,’ as it is stated (supra 2:3): “And let Him teach us of His ways etc.”

He shall bring forth judgment. He shall proclaim all that which shall happen in future to all nations. According to the Gaon the prophet indicates by this phrase that Cyrus will be a righteous king.

“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD…” (Shemot 15:1) There are ten songs. The first was said in Egypt, as it says “For you, there shall be singing As on a night when a festival is hallowed…” (Isaiah 30:29) The second was ‘Then Moses sang…’ Third was on the well “Then Israel sang this song…” (Bamidbar 21:17) The fourth was the song ‘Listen now…’ (Devarim 32:1) The fifth was “Joshua addressed the LORD…” (Yehoshua 10:12) The sixth “On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang…” (Shoftim 5:1) The seventh “David addressed the words of this song to the LORD…” (Shmuel II 22:1) The eight was “A song for the dedication of the House.” (Psalms 30:1) The ninth was Yehoshefat, as it is written “he stationed singers to the LORD extolling the One majestic in holiness as they went forth ahead of the vanguard, saying, “Praise the LORD, for His steadfast love is eternal.”” (Chronicles II 20:21) The tenth is in the time to come, as it says “Sing to the LORD a new song…” (Isaiah 42:10) This song is different, as it is named in the masculine form (shir chadash and not shirah chadasha). All the other songs are named in the feminine form because just as a female gives birth so all of these salvations had after them another subjugation; but in the time to come will be a salvation which is not followed by any subjugation, as it says “But Israel has won through the LORD Triumph everlasting…” (Isaiah 45:17) Thus it is written ‘a new song’ in the masculine (shir chadash), just as a male does not give birth. So it says “Ask and see: Surely males do not bear young!” (Jeremiah 30:6)

nor shall he raise [his voice] He shall not raise his voice. It will not be necessary to admonish and to prophesy to the nations, for they will come by themselves to learn from them [i.e., from Israel], as the matter is stated (Zech. 8:23): “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

He shall not cry, as the judge is used to do.¹Comp. Kimchi ad locum: The judge addresses the accused in a loud and harsh tone, in order the better to impress him with the sense of his authority. Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street, in order that people should flock unto him.^1aPeople will flock unto him spontaneously.

A breaking reed he shall not break Jonathan paraphrases: The meek, who are like a breaking reed, shall not break, and the poor, who are like a flickering candle, shall not be quenched.

A bruised reed. This is a prolepsis, like And stripped the naked of their clothing (Job 22:6). He will not break a reed, is figuratively said for he will not act by violence.

and a flickering flaxen wick A wet flaxen wick, that is nearly extinguished. Their king will not rob the poor and will not break the poor and the weak.

ופשתה כהה לא יכבנה And glimmering²A. V., Smoking. Dark.—The literal translation according to I. E. on Lev. 13:6 is decreasing.²A. V., Smoking. Dark.—The literal translation according to I. E. on Lev. 13:6 is decreasing.³He will not put out the (burning) flax, which will then be glimmering. The Hebrew text has the words עד שתהיה כהה which are identical in meaning with the preceding נקרא על סופו. flax shall he not quench. Flax is easily put out. Glimmering flax is here a prolepsis. כהה thin; comp. כהה hath become smaller (Lev. 13:6). There is, however, some difference between these two words; that in Leviticus is a verb, the word used here is an adjective. The meaning of the whole verse is: The prophet does no harm to any nation by his prophecies; he is but proclaiming what is to come in future.

He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. The judgment upon each nation, as it is decreed by the Lord, is meant.

Neither shall he weaken nor shall he be broken Heb. וְלֹא יָרוּץ, like לֹא יֵרָצֵץ, he shall not be broken, “for the earth shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the seabed” (supra 11:9). And they shall obey them, as the matter is stated (Zeph. 3:9): “For then I will make the nations pure of speech etc.” That is what follows: And for his instruction islands shall long. They shall all obey his instruction.

He shall not fail. The prophet shall not fail, with regard to the spirit, which is joined to his body.⁴The verb כהה lit. to decrease is according to the opinion of I. E. more properly referred to the properties and faculties inherent in the body, as e.g. in the preceding verse to the flame of the burning flax, while the verb רצץ to break points in fact more to the body itself.

Nor will he be broken, with regard to his body. ירוץ is a verb ע״ע;⁵Root רצץ. The regular form of the fut. Kal is יׇרץׁ with active meaning, he win break; it is not quite clear from this remark of I. E. whether יָרוּץ is to be taken in the same sense, and the words לא ירוץ גופו are to be translated one will not break his body, or in a neuter sense: his body will not be broken; in the latter case it would perhaps be better to assume two roots: רצץ to break, and רוץ neuter to be broken. comp. רצוץ broken (ver. 3); its form is like that of יָרוּז, doth sing (Prov. 29:6). The meaning of this phrase is⁶He shall not fail, nor will he be broken.: The prophet shall not die, or he shall not be overcome by any violence of man.⁷According to the first explanation the phrase is to be taken more literally and referred to a premature death of the prophet, before he shall have completed his mission; according to the second it is to be taken more figuratively, and referred to the violent interference of the adversaries of the prophet in the faithful fulfilment of his divine mission. Compare the similar phrase in the preceding verse. This latter explanation, I think, is the right one.

Till he have set judgment in the earth, till the truth of his prophecy be proved, and isles shall wait for his law, for the instruction contained in his prophecies; comp. 8:20, and my commentary thereon.

God the Lord The Master of justice and the Master of clemency.

בורא שמים He that shaped⁸A. V., Created. the heavens. There is a line, by which they are bordered.⁹The bordering line is probably the horizon. This remark of I. E. is intended to support the opinion that the verb ברא has the meaning to shape or to cut. By the bordering line the shape of the heavens is given; in that line they have been, as it were, cut. If, however, by שמים I. E. understands the spheres, the line must refer to the axis, which gives them a definite shape with regard to form and magnitude.

the Creator of the heavens First like a sort of ball of warp thread, and afterward He stretched it out as it is stated in Tractate Hagigah (12a).

And stretched them out over the earth; comp. רקיע expanse (Gen. 1:6).

and what springs forth from it And He creates what springs forth from it.

רוקע He that spread forth. ק has Pathah because of the ע which follows; comp. הנוטע he who planted (Psa. 94:9).

Who gave a soul A soul of life.

And that which cometh out of it. The plants which grow upon the surface of the earth.

to the people upon it To all of them equally.

לעם עליה נותן נשמה He that giveth a soul¹⁰A. V., Breath. unto the people upon it, that is, to man.

and a spirit of sanctity.

ורוח להלכים בה And breath^10aA. V., Spirit. to them that walk therein, that is, to the animals.¹¹According to I. E. נשמה the soul or more properly intellectual faculties is peculiar to man, but רוח and נפש the sensitive and appetititive capacities he has in common with other animals. Comp. his remark on 26:9. Note 9.

to those who walk thereon To those who walk before Him.

Upon it is used in the first instance, because man walks upright.¹²I. E. calls our attention to the distinction indicated by the prophet in using the two different prepositions, על upon, above, and ב in; the former indicating the rising above the surface of the earth, the latter, the closer attachment to it.

I called you To Isaiah He says.

I, the Lord, have called thee, etc. The Lord in these words addresses the prophet upon his own concerns.

and I formed you Heb. וְאֶצָּרְךָ. When I formed you (כְּשֶׁיְצַרְתִּיךָ), this was My thought, that you return My people to My covenant and to enlighten them.

And I will keep thee, that no evil shall befall thee.

for a light to nations Every tribe is called a nation by itself, as the matter is stated (Gen. 35:11): “A nation and a congregation of nations.”

For a covenant of a people. To establish the covenant of a people ; comp. 49:8

To open blind eyes who do not see My might, to take heart to return to Me.

To bring out the prisoners, etc. To tell Israel that they shall be delivered out of the Babylonian exile. Comp. 49:9

to bring prisoners out of a dungeon And because their eyes will be opened, the prisoners will come out of the dungeon. Another explanation: To inform them of the exile destined to befall them, out of which they will eventually come.

that is My Name This is explained as an expression of Lordship and power. I must show that I am the Master. Therefore, My glory I will not give to another, that the heathens shall rule over My people forever and say that the hand of their God is powerful.

That is my name, my real name.¹³The Tetragrammaton is called שם הנכבר the honoured name or the honourable name. Sometimes it is called שם עצם the proper name, because this name alone always signifies the Almighty, while all other names of God admit of other significations. Besides the tetragrammaton there is no other proper name of God in the Scripture. And my glory, that I tell the prophet what is to come, and that he reveals them in my name to honour me. ולא תהלתי═ותהלתי. The negative לא not of the preceding phrase לא אתן, refers to this one also.

The former things that I promised Abraham concerning the exile of Egypt (Gen. 15:14), “And also the nation etc.”

behold they have come to pass I kept My promise, and now new things I tell My people, to promise them concerning a second exile.

His praise from the end of the earth Perforce, when they see My mighty deeds for Israel, all the heathens (nations [Parshandatha, K’li Paz]) will admit that I am God.

Sing unto the Lord, etc. The prophet addresses the people in these words.¹⁴The Hebrew text has דברי הנביא lit., the words of the prophet. This phrase is to be compared with the corresponding one : שאמר לו השם בעד נפשו אלה דברי הנביא The Lord addresses with these words the prophet upon his own concerns (ver. 6.) I. E. intends here to say: These are the words with which the prophet is to address the people. They^14aA. V., Ye. that go down to the sea, etc. For¹⁵The prophet exhorts the Israelites to praise God, for all other nations will do the same, when they shall hear of the wonderful deliverance of the Israelites, though not directly concerned in it. all the people of the earth¹⁶The Hebrew text has the words אנשי היבשה people of the continent. But there seems to be no logical connection between the sentence all inhabitants of the continent will praise God, and the sequence therefore Kedar is mentioned together with the inhabitants of the isles, and those that go down to the sea. The word והים and of the sea must probably be supplied after היבשה : All the people on land and on water, etc., or, as given in the translation, all the people of the earth will praise God. This is the explanation of the words of our prophet: תהלתו מקצה הארץ his praise from the end of the earth, that is, from all parts of the earth.—The conclusion of this remark בשמעם זה הפלא seems to be in the wrong place, and is to be connected with the words יתנו שבח לשם will praise God. In the translation this has been indicated by the signs of a parenthesis. will praise God at the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile (Kedar is therefore mentioned together with the inhabitants of the isles, and those that go down to the sea¹⁷The inhabitants of the isles, and those on ship-board represent the one part of the inhabitants of the earth, the Kedarites are the representatives of the others, of the continental peoples. (See next verse).), when they hear of this extraordinary event.

those who go down to the sea Those who embark in ships.

and those therein Those whose permanent residence is in the sea and not in the islands, but in the midst of the water, they spill earth, each one of them, enough for a house, and go from house to house by boat, like the city of Venice. [As in Warsaw ed. and Parshandatha.]

The desert and its cities shall raise [their voice] their voice in song.

The plain and the cities thereof shall lift up their voice,¹⁸A. V., Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice. etc.

Kedar shall be inhabited with villages (Connected to “The desert...shall raise.” The desert of Kedar, where they now dwell in tents, shall raise their voice and sing. It is like: And the villages with which Kedar is settled.) The desert of Kedar, where they now dwell in tents, will be permanent cities and villages.

Every plain and the cities thereof, all villages which are inhabited by Kedar, etc.; the tribe of Kedar always lived in the plain.¹⁹The name of Kedar may therefore fairly be used to signify the continental people. They were, in fact, never known as a seagoing nation. The inhabitants of the rock, the nations that live in the rocks.

rock dwellers The dead who will be resurrected. So did Jonathan render this.

ירנו Shall shout. Comp. הרנה the cry (1 Kings 22:36).

from the mountain peaks they shall shout From the mountain peaks they shall raise their voices [from Jonathan].

יצוהו Shall lift up their voice. It is used both in a good and a bad sense. Comp. צוחה crying (24:11).²⁰Here it is used in a good sense, but in the passage quoted (24:11) in a bad one.

They will give glory, etc. They will acknowledge that God has done great things, and will say as follows :

The Lord shall go forth, that is, the divine decrees, that were secret hitherto, shall now be revealed.

Jealousy because of the Babylonians, that worship Bel.

יריע He shall cry. Comp. תרועה shout (Jos. 6:5).

יצריח He shall roar. Comp. צורח crying (Zeph. 1:14), though of a different conjugation.²¹צורה is Participle Kal, יצריח is Future Hiphil.

He shall show Himself mighty²²A. V., He shall prevail. by the victory over Babylon.

I was silent from time immemorial Already for a long time I have been silent about the destruction of My Temple, and always...

I have long time, etc. The first person refers to God.

I am still; I restrain Myself This is present tense. Until now My spirit has constrained Me, and from now, like a travailing woman will I cry.

החשתי I have holden my peace. Comp. החשו hold ye your peace (2 Kings 2:3).

I will be terrified Heb. אֶשֹּׁם, I will be terrified.

אתאפק I refrained myself. Comp. להתאפק refrain himself (Gen. 45:1).

and destroy [them] together And I will long to destroy everyone together, all My adversaries.

אפעה Will I cry. Hap. leg. According to some it means viper, and כיולדה אפעה וגוי is explained by them as follows : like one that beareth a viper, so shall I be desolate and sighing at once.

אשם I shall be desolate.²³A. V., I will destroy. It is Niphal of a verb ע׳׳ע (שמם).

אשאף I shall sigh.²⁴A. V., I will devour.—According to I. E. the verb שאף signifies the ardent longing shown by frequent short breathing (comp. I. E. on Eccl. i., 5). The meaning of the phrase is accordingly, that God waits long before He punishes the enemies of Israel, but then he shows, as it were, eagerness to help His chosen people. Comp. שואף sighing (Eccles. 1:5). אשם Refers to the feeling of the heart, אשאף to the utterance of the mouth. This verse is addressed to those who will assert, that God is unable to help His people.²⁵According to R. Moses Hakkohen, from the Babylonian exile; according to I. E. from the present exile. That I. E. had the latter more in view, he indicated by the use of the future שיהיו חושבים they will be believing.

I will destroy mountains and hills I will slay kings and rulers.

I will make waste, etc. How can they think²⁶The form חשבו is to be emended into the future יחשבו ; as may be inferred from the succeeding future והלא יראו. thus? Do they not see, that I lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs, and make rivers into islands, that people can dwell therein.

and all their grass All their followers.

I will dry out Heb. אוֹבִישׁ. This is an expression of drying, used in reference to wet things, e. g., grass and rivers.

And I will lead the blind Israel, who were heretofore blind from looking to Me, I will lead in the good way, upon which they did not know to walk.

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; for ²⁷The blind are supposed not to know any way; I. E. thinks it therefore necessary to point out that they sometimes know their way. even the blind, if accustomed to a path, go there without a guide. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. Some²⁸The Hebrew text has ישוח, which is either a corruption of יש some, or a proper name. Comp. also c. xl. Note 1. refer this to the return of the Israelites from Babylon.

I will do them Heb. עֲשִׂיתִם [lit. I did them], I will do. So is the language of prophecy, to speak of the future as if it was already done.

They shall be turned back, etc., for I have the power to do as I like, not so the idols.

מסכה Molten images.²⁹The singular may be rendered by a plural form, and also be considered as a plural for the grammatical construction, if the context shows that the word is to be taken in a collective sense. The form of the fem. sing. is often the sign of a collective noun. I. E., however, prefers to explain the construction by the assumption of an ellipsis. The plural פסלי images must be supplied from the preceding phrase, because of the pronoun אַתֶּם ye which follows.

You deaf ones...and you blind ones He is referring to Israel.

Ye deaf etc. Hearing and seeing originate in the heart; those that are deaf and blind in their hearts are, therefore, called here deaf and blind.

Who is blind among you? There is no one but My servant; he is the most blind of all of you. And the most deaf among you is like My messenger whom I send to prophesy prophecies.

Who is blind, etc. This verse proves the correctness of my explanation.³⁰As to the prophet’s being mocked by his audience, and the redemption of the Jews from Babylon being at the same time his deliverance from his own personal sufferings and troubles, see Introduction, and I. E. on c. xl. Note 1.

He who was blind is as the one who received his payment He who was blind among you has already received his chastisements, and he is as one who was paid all payments due him and has emerged cleansed.

You are blind who say that none is so blind as the prophet.

כמלאכי As my messenger. Comp. חגי מלאך יי Haggai, the messenger of the Lord (Hag. 1:13).^30aThis quotation is to show that the prophet is sometimes called מלאך the angel of the Lord.

כמשלם As he that is righteous.³¹A. V., Prophet. Comp. ישולם is recompensed (Prov. 11:31) ; שַׁלֵּם to pay (Exod. 22:5); פשלם lit., he who is recompensed, that is, the righteous.

As the servant of the Lord, who, though not a prophet, serves God.

There is much to see There are many sights before you, and you do not observe to look at My deeds and to return to Me.

ראות Seeing. It is an irregular form; it is a combination of the two infinitives, the construct (רְאׁת) and the absolute (רׇאׁה). The meaning of the verse is: they will perceive many words of God, but their soul or eye will not retain them ; their ears will be open, they will not be closed, and still, strange to say, they will not hear.

to open the ears I am busy opening your ears through My prophets, but none of you listens to My words. This is a present tense.

The Lord desires to show you and to open your ears for His righteousness’ sake; therefore, he magnifies and strengthens the Torah for you.

The Lord is well pleased, that they do not see; He will show His justice and exalt His law, so that all those that forsake it shall be afraid. This verse may also^31aThe Hebrew text has אז which is a corruption of או or ; for in the succeeding words a second explanation is contained. According to the first explanation the תורה law, that is to be exalted, is the divine law, described in the Pentateuch; according to the second it is the message which this prophet brought from the Lord, concerning the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile. be connected with the next, thus : God showed His justice, and made those, that said of the prophet, that he is blind, robbed and spoiled, etc.

And it This people is despised and pillaged, and the end of the section is (infra v. 25) “And they laid not to heart” all of this to say, “Why did this befall me?” (v. 24) “Who subjected Jacob to plunder?”

שסוי Spoiled. This is a verb .שסה) ל׳׳ה) Comp. שוסים spoiling (1 Sam. 23:1).

all their youths are grieved Heb. הָפֵחַ בַּחוּרִים, all their youths are grieved. (Addendum: Another explanation of הָפֵח בַּחוּרִים כֻּלָם They will put themselves into snares (פַּחֵי) of the earth and into pits. [The clause,] “And they are hidden in dungeons,” proves that this is so.)

הפח Breathing. It is infinitive and has the same meaning as נפח, though of a different root (פוח).

and no one says, “Return.” Heb. הָשַׁב, like הָשֵׁב [the imperative]. Therefore, it is not punctuated with a dagesh, but (Gen. 43:17) “That returned (הַשָּׁב) in our sacks,” is punctuated with a ‘dagesh.’

בחורים In holes. Comp. חור hole (11:8). They are imprisoned, occupying the lowest dungeons of all the captives.

הׇשַׁב The Pathah is substituted for Zeré because the word is the end of the verse ; השב is transitive, and means restore, namely the spoil.

Who among you will tell³²Our editions have יאזין will give ear; but I. E. reads instead יגיד will tell. this, will tell things like those which the prophet, whom you declared to be blind, proclaimed. לאחור For the time to come. Comp. תאחרו you keep me waiting³³A. V., Hinder me not. (Gen. 24:56);

לפנים in former time is derived from פנה it has turned away ; it is gone.

will hearken to pay attention to this, “Who subjected Jacob to plunder?”

for the future Who will hearken and hear something that will stand him in good stead at the end? Jonathan, too, renders: לְסוֹפָא, at the end, and likewise, every לְאָחוֹר in Scripture refers to something that is destined to be.

This, that we sinned against Him This is what caused the plunder and the spoiling, what we sinned against Him.

Who gave Jacob, etc. Then the people will confess and say: who has given us for a spoil? Certainly the Lord, it is He (זה═זו this), against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways our forefathers refused to walk.

and they did not want Our forefathers did not want to go in His ways.

and it blazed upon them all around I brought retribution upon the heathens ([Ms.] nations) all around so that they see and learn their lesson, like the matter stated (Zeph. 3:6f.): “I cut off nations, their towers were desolate...I said, You shall but fear Me, you shall learn a lesson...” ([This appears in certain manuscripts and in printed editions. In Nach Lublin, the reading is:] So that Israel see and learn a lesson.)

Upon him. Comp. Gen. 49:22.³⁴The peculiarity of a noun, pronoun or verb in the singular being referred to a noun in the plural is explained here; as e.g. עליו upon him, after the plural לא שמעו ,לא אבו they would not, they were not obedient, and צעדה she runs after בנות branches. (Gen. 49:22.) Comp. c. ii. Note 18. Upon every one of our forefathers.

and they did not know They actually did know, but they trod with their heels. They did not care to understand this and to repent of their wickedness.

חמה חמת אפו═חמה אפו The fury, the fury of His anger, Comp. האהלה אהל שרה ══ האהלה שרה into the tent, the tent of Sarah (Gen. 24:67).

and it burned among them After the retribution of the heathens ([ms.] nations) around, it burned upon them themselves.

ותלהטהו And it burned him. Comp. להט flame (Gen. 3:24).—They will confess that their forefathers were blind with regard to their hearts, and had no understanding.