Komentarz do Izajasza 51:24

look at the rock whence you were hewn from it.

Hearken to me. The prophet speaks now to the good people, who believe in the words of the prophets.

and at the hole of the pit Heb. מַקֶּבֶת. With which they penetrate (נוֹקְבִין) and hew the pits. you were dug with which you were dug.

Look, etc. Be not surprised how Zion can again be filled with her children as before, but look, etc.

you were dug Heb. נֻקַּרְתֶּם, an expression similar to (Ex. 33.22) “The cleft (נִקְרַת) of the rock”; (Prov. 30:17) “The ravens of the brook shall pick it (יִקְּרוּהָ).” And who is the rock? He is Abraham your forefather. And who is the hole? She is Sarah who bore you. [תְּחוֹלֶלְכֶם means] ‘who bore you,’ an expression similar to (infra 66: 8) “For Zion experienced pangs (חָלָה) and also bore.”

Look unto the rock. Comp. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock (Ex. 18:6).¹By this quotation I. E. intends to prove the use of phrases like to stand upon the rock, to look unto the rock in a figurative sense. The phrase quoted from Exodus refers to God, and can therefore by no means be taken in its literal meaning.

Unto the rock. Unto the name of the rock,^1aThis is the literal translation of the Hebrew text; but it is possible that the word שם is a superfluous repetition of the word שׇם in the preceding phrase; if that be the case, the translation must be thus: ממנו צור שחצבתם ═ צור חצבתם the rock of which you are hewn, and that is Abraham. of which you are hewn; that is, unto the name of Abraham.

מקבת The hole. Comp. ויקב and bored (2 Kings 12:9).

To the hole of the pit, etc. Sarah is meant.

who bore you Heb. תְּחוֹלֶלְכֶם [lit. shall bear you.]

תחוללכם That bare you. According to R. Jonah, it is future, like ²This word is not to be found in the Bible; very probably another word was intended by I. E.,תשובבכם instead of the past חוללתכם. R. Moses Hakkohen believes it to be an adjective, although there is no other adjective of the same form.³The feminine is here required, and if תחוללבם is not a verb, but a noun, the ת is the prefix indicating the form of the noun, while the feminine termination ה or ת is missing.

for when he was but one I called him For he was one single person in the land of Canaan where I exiled him from his land and from his birthplace. I called him, meaning that I raised him and exalted him. An expression [similar to] (Num. 1:16) “Those called of (קְרִיאֵי) the congregation.” And just as he was a single person and I exalted him, so will I exalt you, who are singled out to Me.

וַאֲבׇרְכֵהוּ And blessed him. The ו has Pathah, because ואברכהו is future: it means, I told him that I should bless him; and so it was. In the same way.

and its wasteland Heb. וְעַרְבָתָהּ. This too is an expression of a desert. Comp. (Jer. 2:6) “In a wasteland (עֲרָבָה) and a land of pits,” but the wasteland once had a settlement and it was destroyed.

The Lord shall comfort Zion, etc. Thus the connection of this verse with the preceding one is explained. He hath comforted all her waste places, by the multitude of her children, of her inhabitants.

thanksgiving A voice of thanks.

When Torah shall emanate from Me The words of the prophets are Torah, and the judgments shall eventually mean tranquility and rest for the peoples for whom I will turn a pure language to serve Me.

Hearken unto me. The first person in this verse refers to God.

I will give [them] rest Heb. אַרְגִּיעַ, I will give them rest.

A law. The word of God proclaimed by the prophet.⁴Comp. I. E. on 8:16 and 20.

ארגיע I will make to rest. Comp. המרנעה the rest (28:12). One of the commentators⁵The Grammarian R. Jonah, quoted in Michlal Jophi ad locum. explains it: I will do in a moment, without delay. The first explanation is better.

shall chasten Heb. יִשְׁפֹּטוּ, chasten, jostize in O.F.

Is near, to be seen.

זרועי Mine arms, is the subject. עמים The people is the object. The isles shall wait upon me, etc., at that time.

the heavens shall vanish like smoke The princes of the hosts of the heathens who are in heaven.

Lift up your eyes, etc. Philosophers derive from this verse the doctrine of the immortality of the soul of man;⁶If all die, and the salvation of the Lord still remains, there must be left something, that is to enjoy that salvation; if the bodies die, the souls are supposed to remain alive. According to I. E. this is not the idea expressed by the words of this verse; they contain rather in a hyperbolical manner, the idea that the salvation of the Lord is sure to come, even if the present sad aspect of affairs gives no room for that hope. their doctrine is right; but this verse certainly does not contain it. השמים The sky.⁷A. V., The heavens.—According to I. E. there are various kinds of heavenly worlds, some of which possess immortality; the sky, (רקיע) is the lowest, the one nearest to the earth. הארץ The inhabited part of the earth. Both may perish, but the salvation of the Lord, His faithfulness, His righteousness remains⁸I. E. comparing this phrase with a similar one (Ps. 112:3) explains the verb היה by the verb עמד, which more exclusively expresses duration, while היה has also the meaning to become, signifying a single act. for ever.

shall vanish Heb. נִמְלָחוּ, shall rot away. Comp. (Jer. 38:12) “Rags and decayed clothing (בְּלוֹאֵי הַסְּחָבוֹת),” a decayed garment. Another explanation of נִמְלָחוּ is: shall be stirred. This is an expression similar to “the sailors of (מַלָּחֵי) the sea,” who stir the water with the oars that guide the ship. Comp. also (Ex. 30:35) “Stirred (מְמֻלָּח), pure, and holy.”

and the earth the rulers of the earth.

and its inhabitants the rest of the people.

and My salvation for My people shall be forever. Another explanation is: [It refers] actually [to] the heavens and the earth, and this is its explanation: Raise your eyes and look at the heaven and at the earth, and see how strong and sturdy they are, yet they shall rot away, but My righteousness and My salvation shall be forever. Hence, My righteousness is sturdier and stronger than they.

The reproach of men. The reproach of the Babylonians and the heathen peoples that have been brought to Babylon as captives.

the moth...the worm They are species of worms.

סס The worm. It is hap. leg. But my righteousness shall be for ever. Comp. And His righteousness endureth for ever (Ps. 112:8).⁸I. E. comparing this phrase with a similar one (Ps. 112:3) explains the verb היה by the verb עמד, which more exclusively expresses duration, while היה has also the meaning to become, signifying a single act.

Awaken, awaken This is the prophet’s prayer.

עורי Awake. The accent is on the last syllable; there are many instances of this exception.⁹According to the rules of accentuation in Hebrew, the accent should be on the first syllable. See I. E. on 3:26, note 25.

Rahab [lit. pride.] Egypt, about whom it is written (supra 30:7): “They are haughty (רַהַב), idlers.”

Put on strength, O arm of the Lord. The strength is, like the garment, an ornament of the arm.

slew Heb. מְחוֹלֶלֶת, an expression of slaying, related to חָלָל.

רהב Tyrant.¹⁰A. V., Rahab. The proud. Comp. רהבים tyrants (Ps. 40:5; 87:4).

the sea monster Pharaoh.

מחוללת Causing terror.¹¹A. V., Wounded. Comp. חיל trembling (Ex. 15:14). He has caused terror by the miracles done in Egypt.

The dragon. Pharaoh is meant; comp. I am against thee, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great dragon, etc. (Ez. 29:3)

Which hath dried the sea. This refers to the division of the Red Sea. מי תהום רבה The waters of the great deep. Repeat הטחרבת which hath dried before these words.

השמה That hath made. It is in form similar to השבה that hath returned (Ruth 2:6). The second part of the verse is a mere repetition of the idea contained in the first.

And the redeemed of the Lord shall return This is an expression of prayer, and it is connected to “Awaken, awaken.”

And the redeemed, etc. The connection between this and the preceding verses is: Awake, O arm, etc., and then, when this is the case, the redeemed of the Lord shall return. I have explained this already (35:10)

who are you the daughter of the righteous like you and full of merits, why should you fear man, whose end is to die?

I am he that comforteth you. The pronouns I and you, refer to the prophet and the people respectively.

Thou. It is generally believed that Israel is here addressed; but I think, that the prophet speaks to his own soul, in a prophetical spirit;¹²That is, the prophet is addressed by God. The quotation which follows proves it, because it cannot be said according to I. E. of the whole nation, And I have put my words in thy mouth. comp. And I have put my words in thy mouth (ver. 16).

כחציר═חציר As grass. Comp. אש אכלח as consuming fire¹³A. V., Consuming fire. (Deut. 4:24)

And you forgot the Lord your Maker and you did not rely on Him.

And forgottest. It is as if thou didst forget. The prophet, in his prophetical spirit, speaks thus to his own heart. The Lord thy Maker, who is omnipotent; for heaven and earth are in His power.

the oppressor The rulers of the heathens (the nations of the world [Parshandatha, K’li Paz]) who subjugate you.

The oppressor. Comp. I gave my back to the smiters (50:6).

when he prepared Prepared himself.

To destroy, that is, to kill men. And where is, etc. Where is now the fury of the oppressor.

Now where is the wrath of the oppressor Tomorrow comes and he is not here.

What must be poured out hastened to be opened Heb. מִהַר צֹעֶה לְהִפָּתֵחַ. Even if his stools are hard, and he must be opened by walking in order to move the bowels in order that he not die by destruction, and once he hastens to open up, he requires much food, for, if his bread is lacking, even he will die.

צועה The captive exile. Comp. צועים oppressors.¹⁴A. V., Wanderers. Shall cause him to wander. וצעוהו and they shall oppress them (Jer. 48:2). The literal meaning of the word, though a participle active,¹⁵This remark seems to be out of its proper place in the Hebrew text; its proper place is either after the quotations with which the word is compared, namely after וצעוהו, or at the end after the explanation of the neuter meaning of the word, namely after לעד. The latter order of the words has been adopted for the translation. is bound; he who is oppressed, and is in distress, is, as it were, bound. This meaning of the word is proved by the words which follow: that he may be loosed.

צֹעֶה An expression of a thing prepared to be poured, as he says concerning Moab, whom the prophet compared to wine (Jer. 48:11): “Who rests on his dregs and was not poured from vessel to vessel.” And he says there (v. 12), “And I will send pourers (צֹעִים) upon him and they shall pour him out (וְצֵעֻהוּ), and they shall empty his vessels.” [This is an illustration of the weakness of man. Consequently, there is no need to fear him.] Another explanation is: מִהַר צֹעֶה That enemy who oppresses you, who is now with girded loins, girded with strength, shall hasten to be opened up and to become weak.

And that he should not die. The prophet is meant.

צֹעֶה Girded. Comp. (infra 63:1) “Girded (צֹעֶה) with the greatness of His strength.”

Nor that his bread should fail, as was the case with Micaiah and Jeremiah, who received but scanty food (1 Kings 22:27; Jer. xxxvii.)

and he shall not die i.e., the one delivered into his hand [shall not die] of destruction. But the first interpretation is a Midrash Aggadah in Pesikta Rabbathi (34:5).

Who wrinkles the sea Heb. רֹגַע, an expression similar to (Job 7:5) “My skin was wrinkled (רָגַע) .” Froncir in O.F. [froncer in Modern French, to wrinkle, gather, pucker].

רגע Who stilleth.¹⁶A. V., Who divided. Some say that נער ═ רגע who rebuketh, by metathesis; others compare it with מרגוע rest (Jer. 6:17), and render it who giveth rest; I approve of this latter explanation. ¹⁷These words are not directly mentioned in the text; and the remark on it seems to belong to the explanation of the word רגע; but indirectly I. E. intended by the words אחר שהמו גליו to paraphrase the words ויהמו גליו and to indicate that, although placed after רגע they do not express the effect, but rather the cause.ויהמו גליו Whose waves roared, that is, whose waves have been roaring. The meaning of the verse might also be the following: I am he who stilleth the sea, but I am also he who commandeth that its waves shall roar. Sea and waves are figurative expressions for the oppressors.

to plant the heavens to preserve the people about whom it was said that they shall be as many as the stars of the heavens [from Jonathan].

... "That I may plant the heavens, And lay the foundations of the earth" That is to say that even if one should imagine that the redemption of Zion would be as difficult as the creation of heavens and earth, 'I have put My words in your mouth,' that this too I will do, to plant new heavens and a new earth and to say to Zion 'you are My people.' And this asserts that it is impossible for the laws of heaven and earth and the ways of nature to prevent Me from doing this, because if so I will nullify their laws and establish new heavens, in order that I fulfill My words that I placed in you mouth 'And say unto Zion: ‘Thou art My people.’ Therefore I say this to you.

I have covered thee to protect thee against him, who was ready to destroy (ver. 13).

and to found the earth And to found the congregation about whom it is said that they shall be as many as the dust of the earth [from Jonathan].

To plant the heavens. A figurative expression for the announcement to be made to the countries that they shall be restored to their former happiness.

ליסוד To lay the foundations. It is the infinitive; the radical י is silent, according to the rule;¹⁸The י after a Hirek is silent, when it has no vowel of its own. the word ליסוד is, however, in form similar to the perfect verb;¹⁹לִיְסד is fully corresponding to לִשְׁמוֹר; all the letters of the root are written; the Sheva under the second letter is dropped on account of the property of the י mentioned in the preceding note. comp. לישון to sleep (Eccl. 5:11)

dregs Heb. קֻבַּעַת. Jonathan renders: פַּיְלֵי, which is the name of a cup [phiala in Latin]. But it appears to me that קֻבַּעַת, these are the dregs fixed (קְבוּעִים) to the bottom of the vessel, and the word מָצִית, “you have drained,” indicates it, as it is said (Ps. 75:9): “...shall drain (יִמְצוּ) its dregs.”

"Awake, awake" You. In response to what you said to Me, 'Awaken, awaken, dress yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord' (Is.51:9) I say

Which hast drunk, etc. Israel is compared to a man that is drunk, and is not aware of what is done unto him; he lies down in deep sleep.

weakness Heb. תַּרְעֵלָה. That is a drink that clogs and weakens the strength of a person, like one bound, tied, and enwrapped. Comp. (Nahum 2:4) “And the cypress trees were enwrapped (הָרְעָלוּ).” Also (supra 3: 19), “And the bracelets and the veils (רְעָלוֹת),” which is an expression of enwrapping, and in Tractate Shabbath (6:6): “Median women (sic) may go out veiled (רְעוּלוֹת),” a kind of beautiful veil in which to enwrap oneself.

"Awaken, awaken, arise, Jerusalem" because the thing depends on you

קבעת The dregs. It is hap. leg. Some explain it to signify the dregs that are fixed (קבע to fix) to the bottom of the vessel.

תַּרְעֵלָה is entoumissant in O.F., (stiffening, weakening, paralyzing).

התרעלה Trembling. Comp. הרעלו they have been shaken (Nah. 2:4). The cup of trembling, that is, the cup, at the sight of which man trembles.

you have drained Heb. מָצִית, egoutter in French, [to drain, exhaust].

מצית Thou hast wrung out. Comp. תמצו you may milk out (66:11), though of a different conjugation.²⁰בנינים is perhaps a corruption of שרשים or פעלים, for both words are of the same conjugation, namely Kal. They differ in their derivation; the root of מצית s מצה, that of תמצו is מצץ. The meaning of this figure is, thou hast received the full measure of evil.

There is none to guide her. Israel is like a woman, that has none to guide her; Israel has no king nor judge, to be saved by him.

These two things have befallen you Twofold calamities, two by two.

ינוד Shall be sorry. Comp. לנוד to mourn (Job 2:11). שתים וגוי

[With] whom will I console you? Whom will I bring to you to console you and to say that also that certain nation suffered in the same manner as you?

Two things, etc. Desolation and the sword are the same, for desolation accompanies the sword; destruction and famine are likewise the same;²¹The verse quoted by I. E. בשברי לכם מטה לחם seems to be in no connexion whatever with the preceding phrase כי השוד לעולם עם החרב; it proves only that שבד and דעב are connected together, but it contains nothing concerning the identity of שוד and חרב. The original Hebrew text probably contained also the words השבר הוא הרעב, to which the quotation which follows refers. comp. בשברי לכם מטה לחם. and when I have broken the staff of your bread (Lev. 26:26). Others explain שתים In pairs. The evils come unto thee in pairs.

במי═מי By whom. By whom shall I comfort thee ? Man is usually comforted by being told that some other man has met with the same accident.

fainted Heb. עֻלְּפוּ. An expression of faintness. Comp. (Amos 8:13) “The...virgins shall faint (תִּתְעַלַּפְנָה) from thirst.” Pasmer in O.F., (pamer in Modern French).

עולפו Have fainted. Comp. ויתעלף and he fainted (Jon. 4:8).

like a wild ox in a net Abandoned like this wild ox that falls into a net. Comp. (Deut. 14:5) “And the wild ox (וּתְאוֹ) and the giraffe.”

They lie. They are killed by famine and sword.

תוא A bird.²²A. V., A wild bull. It is hap. leg. כתוא מכמר As the bird of the net, that is, the bird caught in a net. מכמר Net. Comp. מכמוריו their own nets (Ps. 141:10).

The rebuke of thy God. This is the explanation of the preceding, the fury of the Lord.

and who is drunk but not from wine Drunk from something else other than wine.

Hear now, the prophecy which follows in the next verses.

ושכורת And drunken with. Supply חמה anger, אף wrath, or רעות evils.²³The supplement is deemed necessary by I. E. because שְׁכוּרַת is the form generally used for the construct state. See c. xv. Note 2, and c. xxi. Note 22.

Who shall judge His people Who shall judge the case of His people.

יריב עמו He will plead the cause of His people.²⁴A. V., That pleadeth the cause of His people. Comp. אלמנה ריב the cause of the widow (1:23)

those who cause you to wander Heb. מוֹגַיִךְ. Those who cause you to wander and those who cause you to move. Comp. (I Sam. 14:16) “And the multitude was wandering (נָמוֹג),” krosler in O.F.

מוגיך That afflict thee. Comp. יגון trouble. It is Hiphil of יגה. Comp. הוגה He hath afflicted (Lam. 1:12).

Bend down and let us cross on your back.

Bow down, that is, make thyself low, that we may go over thee.

And as the street, etc. Repetition of the same idea.