이사야 46:14의 주석

Bel squats; Nebo soils himself The deities of Babylon squatted and soiled themselves. This is an expression of ridicule of the idols, like one who suffers from diarrhea and does not manage to sit down on the seat in the privy before he discharges with a splash.

Bel. The idol of the Babylonians; the same is the case with Nebo. The latter is explained by some to signify the sun.

Bel squats; Nebo soils himself Heb. כָּרַע בֵּל קֹרֵס נְבוֹ. Akropid sei Bel; konkiad sei Nebo. Bel squats; Nebo soils himself. So I heard in the name of Rabbenu Gershom, the Light of the Diaspora.

קורס It is connected with קרסים taches (Ex. 26:11); its meaning is well known.

their idols were The images of the forms of Bel and Nebo were to the beasts and the cattle, compared to the beasts and the cattle, which soil and dirty themselves with their droppings.

Upon the beasts and upon the cattle, upon which man is carried. This sentence is therefore followed by the words

what you carry is made a load, a burden The feces in their bowels are heavy to bear like a burden for a weary man. Therefore, they soiled themselves and squatted together, the soiling with the squatting.

נשאתיכם עמוסות משא לעיפה the beasts which carry you¹A. V., Your carriages. נשאתיכם is explained by I. E. in an active sense, although it is in fact participle passive Kal of נשא. were heavy loaden; you are a burden to the weary beast. עיפה is an adjective, and refers to the beast that carries the burden.

they could not deliver the burden to discharge the feces in their bowels as others discharge, in the normal manner.

They bow down. The beasts that carry the idols, bow down.

deliver Heb. מַלֵּט, an expression of discharging from an embedded place. Comp. (supra 34:15) “There, the owl has made its nest, and she has laid eggs (וַתְּמַלֵט),” he has discharged her egg. Comp. also (infra 66:7) “And she has been delivered (וְהִמְלִיטָה) of a male child.” Jonathan, however, did not render these verses in this manner.

The burden. Their idols. נפשם Their souls,²A. V., Themselves. that is, the persons carried by the beasts, are gone into captivity. They were also carried away as captives. Others explain the verse thus : They, that is, all the idols that are left in Babylon, and are not yet mentioned,³That is all idols worshipped in Babylon besides Bel and Nebo. stoop and bow down, and cannot deliver the burden, for they must go themselves into captivity.

who are borne from birth Since you were born in the house of Laban the Aramean, I bore you on My arms, for since then, adversaries stand up against you in every generation and not like the idolaters (other nations [K’li Paz and mss.]) who are laden and carry their Gods, as is mentioned above, but you are laden and borne in My arms.

Which are borne by me, etc. The idols of Babylon are carried by their worshippers, but I, the God of Israel, carry the Israelites.

From the belly, that is, since the day they were born.

And until old age that you have aged and your strength is depleted, that you have no merit, I am the same with My mercy and with My trait of goodness to save you and to bear you and to carry you and deliver you. Since he says regarding their deity, that it is carried and also that it cannot deliver its burden, he says, “But I bear others, and I will deliver My burden.”

And even to old age, etc. This is a figurative expression; it means since the day they had become the people of the Lord for ever.

I have made the Israelites; I am, therefore, not like the gods of Babylon; the Babylonians make their gods. And I will carry and deliver the Israelites; while the idols cannot deliver the burden.

and compare Me Heb. וְתַמְשִׁלֻנִי. Comp. (Job 30:19) “And I have become like (וָאֶתְמַשֵּׁל) dust and ashes.” An expression of comparison.

And make me equal, that we two should be similar.—This verse is addressed to the idolaters.

that we may be alike That I and he be alike, one to the other.

Those who let gold run from the purse Heb. הַזָּלִים, an expression of (Ps. 146:18) “Water runs (יִזְּלוּ) .”

הולים They lavish gold, etc. Many compare this word with אזל is spent^3aLiterally: is gone. The literal translation of הזלים accordingly is: that cause to go, that is, that spend. I. E. properly objects that ולים, if participle Kal of אול, has a neuter sense, they that go. (1 Sam. 9:7), and assume here the elision of the first radical (א) ; but it is in fact hap. leg.; for אזל is intransitive. הזלים means who give. מכיס Out of the bag. The bag is a part of the balance; comp. בכיסך in thy bag (Deut. 25:13). The succeeding בקנה has a similar meaning; it is hap. leg.

with the balance Heb. קָנֶה, the bar of a scale, called flael in O.F.

תחתיו In his place.

לא ימיש It shall not move itself.⁴A. V. Shall he not remove. ימיש is a transitive verb.^4aOr, more properly, reflective. It may also be explained to be a neuter verb meaning it shall move, but the former explanation is better.

The word יצעק One shall cry is to be repeated after ומצרתו and out of his trouble.

Remember this what I wish to say.

והתאששו According to some And be founded ; comp. אשיותיה her foundations (Jer. 1. 15) and אושיא walls (Ezr. 4:12). R. Hai deriving it from אש fire explains והתאוששו be burnt. R. Saadiah derives it also from אֵשׁ, but explains it: be flamed; comp. this word was in mine heart as a burning fire (Jer. 20:9).⁵The difference between the two explanations, that of R. Hai and that of R. Saadiah, is, that the former derives it from אש fire in its literal sense, as a destructive element, the other from אש fire in a figurative sense, as the incentive to actions. Bring again to mind this thing.^5aI. E. supplies ואת mentioned in the first sentence. This thing refers to the nature of the idols described in the preceding verses.

and strengthen yourselves Heb. וְהִתְאשָׁשׁוּ. Comp. (supra 16: 7) “For the walls (לַאֲשִׁישֵׁי) of Kir-hareseth.”

take to heart, you transgressors And what do I say to you to remember and to take to heart?

Remember the first things of old that you have seen that I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me.

ראשנות The former things. The things that have passed ; the word מעולם of old is therefore added.⁶The literal translation of ראשנות is first things, and can be used to signify the first of the things to come as well as past events. I am God. Thus you shall know that I alone am God.

[I] tell the end from the beginning The Egyptian exile and its redemption I announced in the Covenant between the Segments, before they came about.

Declaring the end from the beginning, that is, declaring the event before it happens; for who can annul my decree; my counsel stands for ever, and I will do all my pleasure.

[I] call from the east a swift bird Heb. עַיִט. From the land of Aram, which is in the east, I called Abraham to Me to take counsel with Me. עַיִט Comp. (Dan. 2:14) “Answered with counsel (עֵיטָא) and discretion”; (ibid. 6:8) “All the presidents of the kingdom have taken counsel (אִתְיָעֲטוּ).” Alternatively, it can be interpreted as an expression of a bird. I called him to hasten after Me like a bird that flies and wanders from its place.

A ravenous bird. Cyrus. He is called a bird, because he flew, as it were, to fulfil my will.

from a distant land I called My man of counsel, and with him I took counsel between the parts concerning the four exiles, as it is explained in Gen. Rabbah (44:17) “And behold, a fear, great darkness was falling upon him.” [“Fear” refers to Babylon... “Darkness” refers to Media, who darkened the eyes of Israel with fasting. “Great” refers to Greece... “Was falling upon him” refers to Edom..., etc.]

I have spoken this decree. אביאנה I will also bring it to pass. יצרתיה I have formed it⁷A. V., I have purposed it. by a heavenly decree, I will also do it on earth.

yea I spoke with him concerning the exiles and their redemption; I will also bring it.

stout-hearted You who have strengthened your heart among the heathens (the nations [Parshandatha, K’li Paz]) and have clung to Me.

Stouthearted, that do not believe in the word of the Lord, but are hardened in their hearts.

that are far from righteousness For it has been a long time for you, and I have not demonstrated to you My righteousness to redeem you.

I have brought near My righteousness from now on, and it will not be far off.

I bring near my righteousness, to show it, and therefore It shall not be, etc.

לא תאחר Shall not tarry. Literally : shall not stay itself with me too long before coming, for תאחר is a transitive verb.⁸עצמה itself, the objective case being supplied. It is a figurative expression.⁹The words דרך משל in the Hebrew text are not in their proper place; they should be at the end of the remark, as indicated in the translation.

ונתתי And I will place is to be repeated before לישראל. The phrase תפארתי לישראל is therefore to be rendered thus : And I will place my glory in Israel. It may also be explained thus : to Israel, who is my glory; comp. in whom I will be glorified (49:3); the latter explanation is the better.