Midrash su Isaia 40:8

(Numb. 13:2:) “Send men.” R. Aha the Great opened [his discourse] (with Is. 40:8), “Grass withers, flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”⁷Numb. R. 16:3. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a friend. Now he made an agreement with him and said to him, “Come with me, and I will give you a present.” He went with him but died. The king said to the son of his friend, “Although your father has died, I am not withdrawing the present that I had promised to give him. Come and get it.” This king is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the friend is Abraham, as stated (in Is. 41:8), “the seed of My friend Abraham.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Come with me,” as stated (in Gen. 12:1), “Go from your land….” He made an agreement with him to give him the Land of Canaan as a present, as stated (in Gen. 13:17), “Arise, walk about the land [… for I am giving it to you].” It also says (in vs. 15), “For all the land which you see, [to you will I give it, and to your seed forever].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Although the ancestors have died, I had agreed with them to give them the land. I am not going back on [My word].” Instead (as in Numb. 13:2), “Send men.” Ergo (according to Is. 40:8), “but the word of our God shall stand forever.”

(Numb. 13:2:) SEND MEN…. R. Aha the Great opened (with Is. 40:8): GRASS WITHERS, FLOWERS FADE, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD SHALL STAND FOREVER.⁷Tanh., Numb. 4:3; Numb. R. 16:3. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a friend. Now he made an agreement with him and said to him: Come with me, and I will give you a present. He went with him but died. The king said to the son of his friend: Although your father has died, I am not withdrawing the present that I had promised to give him. Come and get it. This king is the Holy One, and the friend is Abraham, as stated (in Is. 41:8): THE SEED OF MY FRIEND ABRAHAM. The Holy One said to him: Come with me, as stated (in Gen. 12:1): GO FROM YOUR LAND. He made an agreement with him to give him a present, as stated (in Gen. 13:17): ARISE, WALK ABOUT THE LAND […], FOR I AM GIVING IT TO YOU. It also says (in vs. 15): FOR ALL THE LAND WHICH YOU SEE, TO YOU WILL I GIVE IT, [AND TO YOUR SEED FOREVER]. The Holy One said to Moses: Although I had agreed with the ancestors to give them the land, and even though they have died, I am not going back on <my word>. Instead (according to Is. 40:8): BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD SHALL STAND FOR EVER.

3 (Numb. 13:2) “Send men”: R. Aha the Great opened [his discourse] (with Is. 40:8), “Grass withers, flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever.” To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a friend. Now he made an agreement with him and said to him, “Come with me, and I will give you a present.” He went with him but died. The king said to the son of his friend, “Although your father has died, I am not withdrawing the present that I had promised to give him. Come and get it.” This king is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the friend is Abraham, as stated (in Is. 41:8), “the seed of My friend Abraham.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Come with me,” as stated (in Gen. 12:1), “Go from your land….” He made an agreement with him to give him a present, as stated (in Gen. 13:17), “Arise, walk about the land [… for I am giving it to you].” It also says (in vs. 15), “For all the land which you see, [to you will I give it, and to your seed forever].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Although the ancestors have died, I had agreed with them to give them the land. I am not going back on [My word].” Instead (as in Numb. 13:2), “Send men.” Ergo (according to Is. 40:8), “but the word of our God shall stand forever.”