Komentarz do Izajasza 32:23

Behold, for righteousness shall a king reign Behold a king has no right to reign except to execute righteous judgment.

Behold a king shall reign, etc. This refers to Hezekiah and his princes, the firm establishment of whose government is promised.

and over princes who rule with justice And over whom should he reign? Over princes who rule with justice. The prophet says this concerning Ahaz, who was a wicked man, but Hezekiah his son shall rule, and he is worthy. ([Manuscripts read:] And he is worthy of reigning.)

ולשרים And princes. The ל has no meaning as far as I know. Comp. לאבשלום (1 Chr. 3:2), למן (Ex. 9:18).¹Comp. Sepher Harikmah, 100:6: ל is used sometimes to indicate the subject; e.g., Is. 31:1; 1 Sam. 15:22; Deut. 24:5; 1 Chr. 29:6; Ezr. 1:5; Gen. 1:15; or the predicate, e.g., 1 Chr. 1:13; 21:12; 2 Chr. 3:12; 5:12; Jer. 30:12, 15.

And the man shall be The hero in the fear of the Holy One, blessed be He - that is Hezekiah - shall be for Israel.

והיה איש And a man shall be. Either every one of the officers of Hezekiah, or Hezekiah himself is meant.

as a hiding place from the wind As a shelter of a rock, where people hide because of the wind, and they hide there because of the heat ([mss. read:] because of the rain), so will those remaining from the ten tribes trust in him.

מחבא Hiding place. Participle Hiphil.

in an arid land. (בְּצָיוֹן) an expression of dryness, desolation (צִיָּה).

בציון In a dry place. Comp. ציה dry (41:18).

as the shade of a huge rock in a weary land In a sunny place, where the earth is weary and dry and yearning for shade.

עיפה Thirsty.²A.V., Weary; but Ps. 143:6, Thirsty. Comp. Ps. cxliii.—

The verse may also be explained thus:³או or, ויתכן it may be explained, or a similar phrase, introducing a new explanation, is omitted in the Hebrew text before והיה איש. As the continuation of the first or second explanation, this remark would certainly be superfluous, and a mere tautology. And Judah shall be like one who sitteth in a hiding-place from the wind, etc.

And the eyes of them that see shall not be sealed (Heb. תִשְׁעֶינָה) Not as they are now, that “his ears are becoming heavy, and his eyes are becoming sealed (הָשַׁע)” (supra 6:10), an expression of sealing.

תשעינה Shall be dim. Root שעע. Comp. השע Shut⁴Lit., cause to be dim. (6:10)

And the heart of the hasty shall understand to know Not like now, that “this people’s heart is becoming fat” (ibid.).

נמהרים The rash. Hasty in a foolish way. It is derived from מהר to be hasty.

and the tongue of the stammerers, etc. Not like now, “for with distorted speech” (supra 28:11).

עלגים The stammerers. Hap. leg.; in Arabic it means slaves.⁵عِلْجٌ Barbarous; Freytag, Lex. Arab. It is contrasted with to speak plainly (דבר צחות).

stammerers Anyone who does not know how to direct his speech to be clear is termed עִלֵּג or נִלְעַג.

צחות Pure words. Supply מלות words; for צחות is an adj., in form and meaning like זכות.⁶The singular of these adjectives is זך and צח pure, of the root זכך and צחח.

deceitful (כִּילַי) a plotting deceiver, who plots evil.

נבל The vile person. Comp. נובלת fading⁷The oak is said to be fading, on account of its losing its foliage and remaining without fruit and leafless; so נבל the vile person, is without good actions, yielding no benefit to his fellow-men. (1:30).

noble (שׁוּעַ) an expression of a lord, to whom everyone turns (שׁוֹעִין).

כילי The opposite of שוע. שוע Bountiful. A noble person, whose hands are loose, ready to give, and not closed. Comp. ושוע and turning.⁸This quotation is to prove that the two roots שוע and שעה are equivalent in meaning: to loosen, to be or to make ready, to move forward, to turn, to look, to trust. שוע is therefore explained by I. E. to be a person whose hands are loose or open, ready to give whenever opportunity is offered.—Rashi likewise derives שוע from שעה ═ שוע to turn, but in a more simple and natural way; a man to whom the eyes of the people are turned for assistance. Adopting a sort of homiletic explanation, כילי may be said to be composed of two words, כי לי for it belongs to me; for he says, שלי שלי what is mine shall remain mine⁹This is there declared to be מדת סדום the principle of the Sodomites. (Aboth 5:13)

speaks villainy (יְדַבֵּר) like מְדַבֵּר, a present tense.

For the vile person, etc. This refers to the officers of Ahaz.

works iniquity (יַעֲשֶׂה) Gathers thoughts of iniquity. Comp. (Deut. 8:17) “Gathered (עָשָׂה) for me this wealth.”

תועה Error. It is a noun; the forms of nouns are manifold.¹⁰There is hardly any occasion for this remark. We find, except תעתועים errors (Jer. 10:5), no other noun of this root in the Bible; in the post-biblical literature, however, we meet with טעות and תעות error.

to practice flattery (לֲַעֲשׂוֹת) He thinks thoughts how he can practice flattery. חֹנֵף is a noun; therefore, the accent is on the first syllable, it is vowelized with a ‘pattah’ (now called a ‘segol’).

and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail According to the simple meaning, they rob the poor. The Targum, (however, paraphrases:) The words of the Torah, which are like water to the thirsty, they plan to nullify.

and when the needy speaks a plea (מִשְׁפָּט) To destroy the needy in his plea (מִשְׁפָּטוֹ). This word מִשְׁפָּט is an expression denoting the initial presentation of the case; when the needy presents his pleas, this one plans wicked plots to trap him with his devices. The word מִשְׁפָּט has three meanings: the initial pleas (derajjsnement in O.F.), the sentence (joujjment), and the execution of the verdict, that they discipline him with chastisement (joustize in O.F.).

The instruments also, etc. The instruments of justice; for the officers were judges, whose principle was to arrest judgment.

because of generous deeds, shall stand Because of his generous acts, he will have preservation.

But the liberal. Hezekiah and his officers, of whom it was said, And princes shall rule in judgment.

Complacent women Provinces that dwell in tranquility [from Jonathan].

Ye daughters. According to some the towns, which are like the daughters of the metropolis Samaria.

confident daughters Walled cities that dwell confidently [from Jonathan].

Year after year (lit., ‘days upon a year.’) Comp. (supra 29:1) “Add year to year,” and your sins are constantly becoming more serious, until eventually you shall be troubled, those who are now confident, for the vintage of the grapes shall be over for them, and the ingathering of the grain shall not come into the house.

שנה על שנה ═ ימים על שנה. Year after year.

the ingathering (אֹסֶף) This is a noun; therefore, its accent is on the first syllable and it is vowelized with a ‘pattah’ (now called a ‘segol’).

רגזה¹¹I. E. seems to have read רגזה (as in the next verse), instead of תרגזנה; for רגזה is mentioned again by him, and instead of commenting on it, he refers to the explanation given before; it is therefore impossible to suggest that this remark on רגזה has been dislocated from its proper place by the carelessness of some copyist.=רגזנה Be troubled. The opinion of the Nagid¹²R. Samuel, the Prince, several times mentioned by I. E. See Introd. to Moznaim, and Zahoth, On the secondary conjugations. is, that רגזה is imperative, referring to the feminine בטחות, although it has a masculine termination; according to R. Moses Hakkohen it is infinitive.

The gathering of the increase shall not come. Repetition of the same idea.¹³As contained in the words, the vintage shall fail.

to be troubled (רְגָזָה) to be troubled. (This is an infinitive despite the absence of the ‘lammed.’)

חרדו Tremble. Imperative masculine. Comp. תעירו ye stir (Song 2:7); תמצאו ye find (Ib. 5:8). It may be considered as an elliptical expression.¹⁴The use of the imperative plural masculine instead of the feminine is called by I. E. דרך קצרה ellipsis, since the feminine requires the addition of two letters נָה the masculine only וּ; but the use of the termination ־ִים instead of the feminine וֹת (next verse), is explained by supplying the word כׂל all, which is masculine singular in form, but plural in meaning.

to undress (פְּשֹׁטָה) to undress. (This too is an infinitive with the ‘lammed’ missing.)

רגזה I have explained this word already. פשוטה וערה Strip you and make you bare. These words are to be explained in the same way.¹⁵As רגזה has been explained, namely as imperatives or infinitives. וערה And make you bare. Comp. עריה naked (Ez. 16:7). עריה תעור Thy bow will be made quite naked (Hab. 3:9). I think that women, daughters (ver. 9), are to be taken literally.

and to bare (וְעֹרָה) An expression of ‘naked’ (עֶרְיָה) (Micah 1:11).

and to gird (וַחֲגוֹרָה) Therefore, the accent is before the last syllable, and so did Jonathan render: Undress and bare yourselves and gird on your loins. Since they will undress and bare themselves of their garments, they will not gird on their garments but on their loins.

on the breasts, lamenting They shall beat their heart.

סופדים They shall lament. כל all is to be supplied.¹⁴The use of the imperative plural masculine instead of the feminine is called by I. E. דרך קצרה ellipsis, since the feminine requires the addition of two letters נָה the masculine only וּ; but the use of the termination ־ִים instead of the feminine וֹת (next verse), is explained by supplying the word כׂל all, which is masculine singular in form, but plural in meaning. Comp. וכל הנשים יתנו and all women shall give. (Est. 1:20)

for the desirable fields For the fields of their desire. The Midrash Aggadah (See twenty-fourth poem to Lamentations Rabbah) states: For the sages of the Sanhedrin, who are like breasts that nurture, they will lament, and for the city of their desire that will be plowed up like a field, and for the fruitful - vine that is Israel, called a vine, as it is said (Psalms 80:9): “You plucked a vine out of Egypt.”

Thorns and briers The Targum renders: הוּבֵאִי וּבוּר various types of thorns, for all this destruction shall be on all houses of joy, and on the joyful city Jerusalem, which is “the joy of all the land” (Lamentations 2:15).

My people. The people of Samaria.

קוץ שמיר Thorns, briers. Asyndeton. Comp. אדם שת אנוש (1 Chr. 1:1).

Yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city. Supply thorns shall come up.

For the palace The king’s palace has been forsaken.

The palace of the king. נטש, shall be forsaken; עזב, shall be left. Pual.¹⁶Instead of מהבנין הקל שלא וגו׳ is to be read נֻטָּשׁ .מהבנין הכבד שׁלא וגו׳ and עֻזָּב are participles of the Pual, the prefix מ having been dropped. See Zahoth, On the secondary conjugations (בנינים הנלקחים מאחרים). I. E. rejects the opinion of R. Moses Hakkohen, who says that forms like לֻקַּח are sometimes derived from the Kal, namely, when the Piel of that verb is not found in Scripture.

the multitude of the city has been exiled.

עופל An elevated place.¹⁷A. V., The forts. Comp. ויעפילו and they ascended.¹⁸A. V. They presumed.

rampart and tower My Temple, which was a fortification for them.

ובחן And tower. Comp. בחוניו his towers. (23:13). היו מערות═ היה בעד מערות shall become dens.

are amidst ruins (הָיָה בְּעַד מְעָרוֹת), shall be amidst ruins. מְעָרוֹת is an expression similar to (Psalms 137:7) “Raze it, raze it (עָרוּ עָרוּ).” בְּעַד is like “(Job 22:13) Can He judge through (הַבְעַד) a thick cloud?”

forever Until the time of the end.

a joy for wild donkeys For the lust of Ishmael and his hosts.

Until...be poured upon us (יֵעָרֶה) He shall pour upon us. Comp. (Gen. 24:2) “And she emptied (וַתְּעַר) her pitcher.” An expression of pouring applies to spirit. Comp. (Zech. 12:10) “And I will pour upon the house of David...a spirit of grace.” Comp. also (Joel 3:1) “I will pour My spirit upon all flesh.”

יערה Be poured. Niphal. עד יערה עלינו רוח Until the decreed evil, the approach of the King of Assyria to the land of Judah, be poured upon us. רוח signifies here the divine decree.

shall be regarded as a forest (Jonathan renders:) Great cities, like this forest, which is full of trees.

And the plain¹⁹A. V., Wilderness.—According to I. E., מדבר signifies here a plain, used for a corn-field; in the similar phrase (29:17), it is replaced by Lebanon, which is said to be more fruitful than Karmel, in the same measure as Karmel is superior to the forest (יער). The original meaning of מדבר is in fact pasture, whither the flock is driven (דבר to drive). See Gesen. Lex. Hebr., that is cultivated, will be like Karmel,²⁰A. V., Fruitful field. and Karmel, etc. Comp. 29:17

And justice shall dwell in the desert In Jerusalem, which is like a desert.

Then judgment shall dwell, etc. God will punish those that forsake him.

and righteousness shall reside in the fruitful field That is the land of Israel, which in those days shall be like a fruitful field.

And the work of righteousness shall be peace, as in the time of Hezekiah. Comp. And peace without end (9:6)²¹The passage quoted refers, according to I. E., to King Hezekiah; according to others, to Messiah. Some explain ver. 15 sqq. as a blessing.²²Comp. Targum Jonathan ad locum.

My people. Judah.

And He shall hail down the hailing of the forest (וּבָרַד בְּרֶדֶתהַיָּעַר) Perforce, this word וּבָרָד is not a noun, since half of it is vowelized with a ‘kamatz’ and half of it with a ‘pattah’ in an expression of פָּעַל. (Rashi distinguishes בָּרַד from בָּרָד, the noun denoting hail.) And so is its interpretation, an expression of an action, like ‘and he shall wash’ (וְרָחַץ), ‘and he shall sit’ (וְיָשַׁב), ‘and he shall stand’ (וְעָמַד). Here too, וּבָרַד ‘and He shall hail down the hailing of the forest.’ Then the ‘beth’ of בְּרֶדֶת is a radical, like עֲטֶרֶת, ‘a crown,’ עֲקֶרֶת ‘a barren woman.’ That is to say that the Holy One, blessed be He, shall rain down the rain of the coals of the wicked, those who are now built up and full of cities like a forest.

וברד When it shall hail. The Pathah under ר proves that the word is a verb; comp. עשן it smoked (Ex. 19:18). When it shall hail, coming down on the forest. When the hailstones will come down, they will come down on the forest, not on the fields.

and into the low state Into which Israel has been humbled until now,

The city shall be low, shall be like a wide plain without walls²³In time of war the people used to retire to the mountains, where they lived in forts and fortresses, and were thus enabled to resist the attack of the invading army; but as soon as the danger was over the people scattered again over the valleys and plains, to live in villages and open towns, where they could with greater ease devote themselves to their usual pursuits.

shall the metropolis of Persia (Seir, Edom, [according to various mss.]) be humbled. In a similar manner did Jonathan render it: And hail will come down and kill the camps of the nations.

Fortunate are you Israel, that the sowing of your righteousness has succeeded like those who sow by all waters. From now on, you shall reap and gather the grain of your good reward; you shall send forth the feet of the ox to thresh the grain, and the donkey to bring it into the house. So did Jonathan render it: You shall receive the reward of your good work.

Beside all waters, that shall come²⁴Beside the water, that is, after the rain, that will cause the seed to grow and to prosper..

That send forth the feet of the ox and the ass. Comp. 30:24; all these chapters from xxiv.—xxxvi. form one continuous prophecy.