Komentarz do Izajasza 55:14

Ho! All who thirst Heb. הוֹי. This word הוֹי is an expression of calling, inviting, and gathering, and there are many in Scripture, [e.g.,] (Zech. 2:10) “Ho! Ho! and flee from the north land.”

הוי Ho ! It is the sign of the vocative. Ho, every one that thirsteth, etc. With these words the Lord will address those who will then be desirous to accept the Law.

go to water to Torah.

And he that hath no money to buy, that is, that has not the means required for study.

buy Heb. שִׁבְרוּ. Comp. (Gen. 42:3) “To buy (לִשְׁבֹּר) corn,” buy.

Buy and eat the wisdom. Comp.¹As to the verb to eat being used in a figurative sense, signifying to learn, to perceive. Eat this roll, (Ez. 3:1). Wisdom is demanded by the soul as the food is demanded by the body.

wine and milk Teaching better than wine and milk.

Come ye unto me,

Buy for nothing, And eat without paying. Wine and milk. Each serves both for food and drink, as medical authorities assert.²The function of the drink is to dissolve the food and to accelerate its digestion; most beverages, according to I. E., are believed to contain no elements of nourishment, but in wine and milk both properties are found, they nourish and accelerate the digestion. Wine and milk are mentioned because the Law is compared with them.³Comp. Midrash Yalkut ad locum, and I. E. on Solomon’s Song 2:4.—No other passage of the Bible, however, can be adduced, in which the Law is compared with wine and milk.

Why should you weigh out money Why should you cause yourselves to weigh out money to your enemies without bread?

Wherefore do you spend money, etc. Wherefore will you labour in profane science⁴By the term חכמות נכריות profane science, as contrasted with the knowledge of the Law, I. E. means hardly anything but speculative philosophy, metaphysics; because all practical sciences, especially the science of nature, is repeatedly recommended by I. E.; comp. his commentary on Exod. 20:1. which is of no use to you.

בדשן In fatness. Comp. דשן (30:23). Let your soul delight itself in fatness, that is, in that happiness which the soul enjoys after its separation from the body by death.⁵A second explanation is indicated by I. E. in the additional words או טעמו or its meaning is; the explanation itself is missing in the Hebrew text, or it is the same which is mentioned below (ver. 3.), and is likewise introduced by the words או טעם; the two words have therefore been omitted in the translation.

the dependable mercies of David For I will repay David for his mercies.

ולכו אלי And come unto me. Lit., Go away from your place toward me; comp. סורה אלי turn in to me (Jud. 4:18).⁶הלך to go signifies removal from the place of him that speaks, בוא to come, approach to it. The preposition אלי demands the verb ובואו, while the verb ולכו demands ממני; I. E. therefore explains the words ולכו אלי as an elliptical phrase, meaning, and go from your place and come unto me. Comp. I. E. on 31:1, Note 2.

And your soul shall live. That is, your soul shall live for ever after the death of the body, or you will receive new life through Messiah, when you will return to the Divine Law.

An everlasting covenant, that will never expire. The sure mercy of David, that is, like the covenant which I made with David and the kindness which I showed to him, promising him my mercy will I keep for him for evermore, etc. (Ps. 89:29). It is also possible, that by David in this verse Messiah is meant, who will be of the family of David; as the prophet is sometimes called Israel for the same reason;⁷See I. E. on 49:3. and the meaning of הנאמנים חסדי דוד is in that case: for the kindness of Messiah is sure.⁸That is, is everlasting, and therefore the covenant which will be made with you through him, will likewise be ברית עולם an everlasting covenant. According to the first explanation the everlasting covenant promised here, is compared with the everlasting covenant which God made with King David. This explanation is supported by the next verse.

a witness to nations A prince and a superior over them, and one who will reprove and testify of their ways to their faces. ([Mss., however, read:] One who reproaches them for their ways to their faces.)

Behold, I have given him, namely, Messiah.

לאמים The people, the ל being radical; or to the people, the ל being a preposition.⁹There are in Hebrew two words which signify nation, namely: אֹם and לאֹם; pl. אֻמִּים (Ps. 117:1) and לאֻמִּים (49:1). For a witness. Messiah will testify, that there is no other king, no other ruler of the world, than God.

ומצוה And one that issues commands.¹⁰This remark appears to be quite superfluous, since מְצַוֵּה can hardly mean anything else; it is perhaps intended to indicate that it is not an irregular participle instead of מְצַוֶּה, but the construct state of the noun מְצַוֶּה commander. See Kimchi ad locum.

Behold, a nation you do not know you shall call to your service, if you hearken to Me, to the name of the Lord that is called upon you.

A nation, that thou knowest not, which thou hast not known hitherto, thou shalt call to come unto thee; comp. I called my servant, etc. (Job 19:16).

And nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee. This proves my explanation¹¹This refers to the opinion of I. E. that the prophecies contained in this part of the book, describe the time of Messiah yet to come; the verse before us supports that opinion, since the promise contained in it, has not yet been fulfilled. to be correct.

פארך He hath glorified thee. It is irregular;¹²The regular form of the two verbs is: עׇנְךָ ,פְּאֵרְךָ. there is no other instance of a perfect verb having this form; but there is one of the weak verb: עׇנׇךְ He hath answered thee (30:19)

when He is found Before the verdict is promulgated, when He still says to you, “Seek Me.”

Seek ye the Lord. This appeal is made to the contemporaries of the prophet,¹³That were, together with the prophet, captives in Babylon. See I. E. on 40:1. telling them to seek the Lord, since they knew that they would be redeemed from Babylon, and after that again from all other nations.

While He may be found by those that seek Him. God is certainly everywhere at all times; but the meaning of this phrase is, while the decree is not yet resolved upon: in a similar way the phrase, while He is near is to be explained, namely, while He permits His glory to rest upon the temple.¹⁴The words רמז לשכינה שהיא במקדש seem to be a new explanation, which is quite different from the preceding one while the decree is not yet resolved upon. In the commentary Michlal Jofi the latter is assigned to the Talmud, the former to Don Isaak Abravanel. We conjecture therefore that the word או or before רמז has been dropped; and have restored it in the translation.

[He must abandon his way] in deed and speech, so too he must abandon his wicked thoughts, for repentance will not be effective with regard to the visible [aspects of sin] if it does not also target the hidden [aspect of sin, i.e. thoughts]. For the good and bad actions of man are dependent upon the hand, mouth, and heart, and repentance is required from all of them.

Let the wicked forsake, etc. This is the explanation of Seek ye the Lord, etc.

His way. The way which he is accustomed to go. ואיש און מחשבתיו And the unrighteous man his thoughts. Supply יעזב let him forsake. The principal points, the thought and the deed are mentioned by the prophet.¹⁵According to I. E. דרך signifies the way of action, the practice, contrasted with מחשבה thought, plan.

He will abundantly pardon the iniquities.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts Mine and yours are not the same; therefore, I say to you, “The wicked shall give up his way,” and adopt My way...

For my thoughts are not yours. You thought that I should punish you even after your return to me; but your thoughts are not mine; my intention is to do good to you. Neither are your ways my ways. My ways are righteous; comp., Are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal ? (Ez. 18:19)

“and a man of iniquity his thoughts” and adopt My thoughts, to do what is good in My eyes. And the Midrash Aggadah (Tanhuma Buber, Vayeshev 11 explains:) For My thoughts are not, etc. My laws are not like the laws of man [lit. flesh and blood]. As for you, whoever confesses in judgment is found guilty, but, as for Me, whoever confesses and gives up his evil way, is granted clemency (Proverbs 28:13).

As the heavens are higher, etc. That is to say that there is a distinction and a difference, advantages and superiority in My ways more than your ways and in My thoughts more than your thoughts, as the heavens are higher than the earth; you are intent upon rebelling against Me, whereas I am intent upon bringing you back.

For as the heavens, etc., so are my ways higher, etc. This is a figurative expression.¹⁶In the Hebrew text there is no proper distinction between this verse and the succeeding. משל should be separated from the succeeding words by a full stop. The conjunction כי, which follows, is not part of the commentary but of ver. 10, the text which is to be explained.

For, just as the rain and the snow fall and do not return empty, but do good for you.

For as the rain cometh down, etc. The rain watereth the earth, in coming down from heaven; for that purpose God sends it down, in order that seed may be given to the sower and bread to the eater.

so shall be My word that emanates from My mouth to inform you through the prophets, will not return empty, but will do good to you if you heed them.

So shall my word, etc. I shall fulfil all I spake to the prophets.

For with joy shall you go forth from the exile.

For you shall go out with joy. You will go out from the exile joyfully.

the mountains and the hills shall burst into song before you for they will give you their fruit and their plants, and their inhabitants shall derive benefit. ([Some editions read:] And their inhabitants shall sing.)

And be led forth with peace to your land on horses and mules. If this passage be referred to the Babylonian exile, it was indeed literally fulfilled.¹⁷Comp. Ezr. 1:3, sqq. But if it is understood to allude to a future redemption, in that case comp. And they shall bring all your brethren upon horses, etc. (66:20). Some refer it to both.¹⁸To the Babylonian exile and the Roman exile.

ימחאו Shall clap. This verb is frequently met with in the Chaldee.¹⁹Comp. Dan. 2:35, 5:19. ומחה and shall reach (Num. 34:11) is of the same root.²⁰The two verbs compared by I. E. are not the same, the one is ל״ה, the other ל״א; but א and ה interchange. The word מגזרת before ומחה seems to be a corruption of ומגזרתו; since ימחאו is not derived from מחה, but the latter is, in the one passage quoted here, exceptionally used in the sense of מחא, to join, to clap, or to strike.

Instead of the briar, etc. Our Rabbis expounded [Targum Jonathan]: Instead of the wicked, righteous people shall arise.

הנעצוץ The thorn. Comp. הנעצוצים the thorns (7:19). The fir is undoubtedly better than the thorn.

briar...and...nettle They are species of thorns; i.e., to say that the wicked will be destroyed and the righteous will take their rule.

סרפד The brier. A kind of thorn. And it shall be to the Lord for a name, etc. He will perform wonders, in providing the wilderness with rivers, when Israel will return to Zion, and this will be to the Lord An everlasting sign, a miracle that will remain for ever.²¹I. E. means either that the rivers and fountains produced in the wilderness by a miracle will remain for ever, and thus continually testify the glory of God, or that the miracle will be of such an extraordinary character, that it will for ever remain in the memory of mankind.