Комментарий к Йешайау 1:33

the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz Said Rabbi Levi: We have a tradition from our ancestors that Amoz and Amaziah, king of Judah, were brothers.

חזון The vision of. The נ is not radical.¹The root of חזון is חזה to see; in חזון the radical ה is omitted, and וֹן is added, as in קדמון ,זכרון ,חשבון.

which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem Now, did he not prophesy concerning many nations, viz. the prophecy of Babylonia (ch. 13), the prophecy of Moab (ch. 15)? Thus you learn that this is not the beginning of the Book, and that the Book is not given its name for this prophecy. So we learned in the Baraitha of the Mechilta (Exod. 15: 9,10): “In the year of King Uzziah’s death” (6:1) is the beginning of the Book, but there is no early and late in the order [i.e., the order of the chapters is no indication of the chronological order. (Others read: There is no early and late in the Book—Parshandatha.] The context proves this point, for, on the day of the earthquake (see Zech. 14:5), the day Uzziah became a metzora (see 2 Chron. 26:19), it was said: “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am; send me” (6:8). We learn that this was the beginning of his mission, and this prophecy was said afterwards. And concerning this alone, it is stated: which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, just as Scripture says concerning each nation, “the prophecy of such and such a nation.” Here too, Scripture writes: “which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” Since they are harsh reproofs, he calls them “chazon,” which is the harshest of the ten expressions by which prophecy is called, as is stated in Gen. Rabbah (44:7), and proof of this is the verse (infra 21:2), “A harsh prophecy (חָזוּת) was told to me.”

The son of Amoz. There exists an opinion, though a solitary one,²This is the opinion of R. Johanan (comp. Midrash Rabba, Leviticus 6), and Ulla (comp. Talmud Babli, Megilla 15a). that when the father of a prophet is mentioned by name, he also was a prophet; another³R. Levi said, ‘ We know by tradition that Amoz and Amaziah were brothers.’ (Talmud Babli, Megilla 10b.) opinion is, that Isaiah was a member of the royal family, that his father Amoz and Amaziah⁴Amaziah was king of Juda, before Uzziah, 835—806. were brothers, and that the evil-disposed of Israel were unable on that account to do harm to Isaiah, as they did to Jeremiah (vid. Jer. 38); but in fact Isaiah did not escape persecution, for he says, I gave my back to smiters, etc. (1. 6). Irrespectively of all traditional explanations, we may say that the father of a prophet, if mentioned by name, was a man of some distinction, whose character rendered him conspicuous among his fellow-men; sometimes he was himself a prophet, at others not, e.g., David, the son of Jesse (2 Sam. 23:1). David was the man of God (2 Chron. 8:14), Jesse was not. It is with prophecy as with royalty; comp. Jehu, king of Israel, the son of Nimshi (1 Kings 19:16); Nimshi was not a king. We read, it is true, In the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet⁵A. V. The prophet, the son of Amoz. (2 Chron. 32:32), where the qualifying term, the prophet, may as well be referred to Amoz as to Isaiah; but from the words, To Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz (2 Kings 19:2), we learn that Isaiah was the prophet. ⁶This is not so evident as I. E. seems to believe; since from the same two verses just the opposite inference is made, Midrash Rabba (Leviticus 6); namely, that both Isaiah and Amoz were prophets, because the epithet, the prophet, is in the one verse closely joined to the former, in the other to the latter. Ibn Ezra, who recommends the accents as an excellent guide for the reading and understanding of the Bible (comp. 5:9), should have gathered better evidence from the accents. אמוץ has a disjunctive accent, and is to be separated from the following הנְביא ; were they to be joined, their accents would be in the following way, ישעיה֨ו בן־אמ֣וץ הנביא Thus the forefathers of Zephania are named (Zeph. 1:1), because the king Hezekiah was one of them.

in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah. These four kings he buried, [i.e. he outlived,] in his lifetime. On the day Uzziah became a metzora, the Shechinah rested upon him, and he prophesied all the days of these kings, until Manasseh arose and killed him. (And this prophecy was said in the days of Hezekiah after the ten tribes were exiled.)

Concerning Judah and Jerusalem. The greater part of Isaiah’s prophecies refer to the cities of Judah, which were to be taken by the king of Assyria, and to Jerusalem, which was to be delivered out of his hand; the whole of the second part of the Book of Isaiah has as its subject the exile of Judah, the other tribes not being mentioned here at all.

In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Isaiah very probably commenced his prophetical career in the last year of King Uzziah, as shall be explained below (6:1). In strict regard to the words of the text, we think that he died in the days of Hezekiah; for had he lived in the days of Manasse, the son of Hezekiah, it would certainly have been stated in this verse. Some say that Isaiah was slain by Manasse, because he exclaimed, Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (6:5).⁷Manasse is said to have tried and condemned Isaiah for having declared that he had seen the Lord, in contradiction to the words of the Law, There shall no man see me and live (Exod. 33:20); comp. Talm. Babli, Yebamoth 49b; Talm. Jerushalmi, Sanhedrin 10:2. If this statement is based on tradition,⁸Simeon ben Azai (Talm. Babli, Yebamoth 49b) bases this statement on notes found in a Megillath Johasim, a sort of family record; the question, however, still remains whether those notes were derived from any ancient and trustworthy authority. it may be accepted.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth And Moses said, “Give ear, O heavens,...and may the earth hear” (Deut. 32:1). Why did Isaiah change the wording? Our masters taught concerning this matter, [and] many midrashim [are] in the section entitled “Ha’azinu” in Sifrei, but the Sages disagreed with them and said: A matter is not so unless witnesses come and testify. If their words coincide, their testimony is fulfilled; if not, their testimony is not fulfilled. Had Isaiah not addressed the heavens with giving ear and the earth with hearing, the heavens would testify and say, ‘When we were called to this testimony in Moses’ time, when he said, (Deut. 30:19) “I call heaven and earth to witness against you,” we heard with an expression of giving ear,’ and the earth would testify, ‘I was called with an expression of hearing,’ hence their testimony would not coincide. [Therefore,] Isaiah came and reversed the matter. Consequently, both are found to testify with an expression of giving ear and with an expression of hearing.

והאזיני And give ear. Sometimes verbs are derived from nouns, as האזיני, ‘give ear,’ from אׂזֶן ‘ ear.’ .There is in reality no difference between שמע ‘to hear’ and האזן ‘to give ear.’⁹By the additional phrase על דרך פשט in reality, the commentator indicates that he rejects the various remarks of the Midrash about the difference between Is. 1:1 and Deut. 32:1, and likewise the distinction drawn between the synonyms שמע and האזן. (See Yalkut ad locum).—Isaiah begins his prophecy, by addressing those witnesses, that have been pointed out to Israel by Moses, when he said I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you shall soon utterly perish (Deut. 4:26); the time, foretold by Moses, had then come.

for the Lord has spoken That you should be witnesses in this matter, when I warned them in Moses’ time. Therefore, come and hear what I reason with them, for they transgressed the warning, I did not sin against them, but I raised them and exalted them, yet they rebelled against me. [Another version reads:] That you should be witnesses in this matter. Now, where did He speak? “Give ear, O heavens and I will speak” (ibid. 32:1). [So this was taught] in Mechilta (Bo 12).

For the Lord speaketh. Listen to His word, since it is the Lord that speaketh ; or, because the Lord has commanded you to listen.¹⁰According to the first explanation, the phrase for the Lord speaketh refers to the following prophecy, which, although spoken by Isaiah, is nevertheless the word of God, who inspires the prophet. The second explanation requires the rendering of דבר by the past hath spoken or hath commanded, and the supplying of the Infinitive to hear or to listen.

I have nourished and brought up children. The Israelites are compared to feeble children, who, nevertheless, through the care of their father are enabled to distinguish themselves amongst their companions.

פשעו בי They have rebelled against me. They withdrew from my command (comp. 2 Kings 8:22; Exod. 22:8).¹¹This explanation of פשע seems to be derived from the phrase פשע מתחת יד ‘to rebel ’ (2 Kings 8:22)—literally, to withdraw from the authority of—and to be supported by דבר פשע (Exod. 22:8), an object that was lost by its owner—literally, that has slipped away from its possessor. Our author, however, in his commentary to Exodus explains דבר פשע, as generally understood, an object of trespass, and contrasts with this explanation, the one above mentioned as the opinion of R. Joshua ; eventually he seems to have entirely adopted the meaning given in the text, as is also to be seen in the abridged commentary on Exodus (22:8).

his owner Heb. קֹנֵהוּ [is] like מְתַקְּנוֹ, the one who affixes him to the plowshare for plowing by day, and since he has accustomed him to this, he knows him. The dull donkey, however, does not recognize his master until he feeds him. Israel was not intelligent like the ox, to know, when I called him and said, “Israel will be your name” (Gen. 35:10), and I informed them of several of My statutes, yet they deserted Me, as is related in Ezekiel (20:39): “Let each one go and worship his idols.” Even after I took them out of Egypt and fed them the manna and called them, “My people, the children of Israel,” they did not consider even as a donkey. Another explanation is: An ox knows its owner An ox recognizes his owner so that his fear is upon him. He did not deviate from what I decreed upon him, by saying, I will not plow today. Neither did a donkey say to his owner, I will not bear burdens today. Now, these [creatures,] who were created to serve you, and are not destined to receive reward if they merit, or to be punished if they sin, did not change their manner, which I decreed upon them. Israel, however, who, if they merit receive reward, and if they sin are punished.

The ox knoweth, etc. Ox and ass are mentioned, as animals which are in constant use among people.

does not know i.e., did not want to know; they knew but trod with their heels, and my people did not take heart to consider.

"That you shall accept from them": Not donation of grain, wine, and oil, but gold, silver, and bronze. The Blessed, Holy One said: I set up thirteen things for you in Egypt; you, too, should offer thirteen. The thirteen which [God] did in Egypt are written down by Ezekiel: "I clothed you with embroidered garments, and gave you sandals of dolphin leather to wear, and wound fine linen about your head, and dressed you in silks. I decked you out in finery and put bracelets on your arms and a chain around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a splendid crown on your head....the choice flour, the oil, and the honey, which I had provided for you to eat" (Ezekiel 16:10-12, 19) -- which come to thirteen. You, too, should offer me thirteen things: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and crimson yarns; fine linen, goats’ hair; tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood, oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; lapis lazuli and other stones for setting" (Exodus 25:4-7).....

אבוס the crib. The place for the ass’s food. The form of the word is in the construct state the same as in the absolute. The participle passive Kal, 1) אבוסים Kings 5:3) and אבוס (Prov. 15:17), ‘fatted,’ is derived from this word ; it means literally, ‘placed at the crib.’

Israel doth not know. They are, therefore, in their character inferior to the cattle.

My people doth not consider. Repetition of the preceding idea, as usual in most of the prophecies, in the song of Moses (Deut. 32), in the parables of Balaam (Num. 23., 24i>My people doth not consider. Repetition of the preceding idea, as usual in most of the prophecies, in the song of Moses (Deut. xxxii.), in the parables of Balaam (Num. xxiii., xxiv.), etc.¹²In Hebrew the repetition is used in the prophetical but not in the historical style.—I. E. on Ex. 14:19. The meaning of the whole verse is, I have brought them up, but they do not know me.

Woe Every instance of הוֹי in Scripture is an expression of complaining and lamenting, like a person who sighs from his heart and cries, “Alas!” There are, however, several, which are an expression of a cry, the vocative voice, e.g., “Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north” (Zech. 2:10), which the Targum renders, אַכְלוּ, an expression of announcing. Woe There is a reason to cry about a holy nation that turned into a sinful nation, and a people referred to by the expression, “for you are a holy people” (Deut. 7:6), turned into a people with iniquity.

הוי. Some consider the ה as a substitute for א, and explain אוי ═ הוי, ‘woe;’ comp. אדורם and הדורם, N. pr. (2 Chr. 10:18; 1 Kings 12:18); איך and היך, how (1 Chr. 13:12 ; 2 Sam. 6:9); but I think that it is a sign of the vocative case (derived from the verb היה ‘to be’), and that the passage must be rendered, O sinful people, etc. ; comp. הוי הוי ונסו, Ho, ho, flee (Zach. 2:10), הוי ציון המלטי O Zion, deliver thyself (Ibid. 11).¹³In the two passages quoted by the author, הוי cannot be translated by ‘ woe,’ because it is followed by good tidings.—Ibn Ezra does not mean to say that הוי is never used instead of אוי (woe); for in this same chapter (ver. 24) he admits the identity of these two words.—The connection between היה ‘ to be ’ and הוי ‘ Oh ’ is not clear. Comp. Zahoth, On the Aleph. The second person is, therefore, used in the next verse, Why should ye be stricken any more.

a people heavy with iniquity The heaviness of iniquity. The word denotes a person who is heavy, pesant in French, ponderous. The word כֶבֶד is a substantive of heaviness, pesantoma in French, and is in the construct state, and is connected with the word עָוֹן, iniquity.

כֶבֶד Laden with. An adjective in the construct state; comp. עֶרֶל לב ועֶרֶל בשר, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh (Ez. 44:9).¹⁴כֶּבֶד is, according to Ibn Ezra, not a substantive, the burden of, but the construct state of the adjective כָּבֵד, heavy of, heavy with regard to; like עֶרֶל uncircumcised with regard to—the construct state of the adjective עָרֵל, uncircumcised.

evildoing seed And they were seed whom the Lord blessed (Isa. 61:9). Similarly, they were children of the Holy One, blessed be He, and they became corrupt.

Seed of evil doers. They and their forefathers have been wicked ; or, their father was an Amorite, their mother a Hittite (Ez. 16:3),¹⁵The Israelites are, according to this explanation, called a seed of evil-doers, because their forefathers, the ancestors of Abraham, were idolators. as I shall explain.¹⁶The commentary of Ibn Ezra on Ezekiel is not known.

they provoked Heb. נִאֲצוּ, they angered.

משחיתים Corrupters. That corrupt their soul or their way.¹⁷משחיתים is the participle Hiphil, and has therefore originally the causative meaning, causing their soul or way to be corrupt.

they drew backwards [The root נְזִירָה,] wherever it appears, is only an expression of separation. Similarly, Scripture states: “And they shall separate (וְיִנָּזְרוּ) from the holy things of the children of Israel” (Lev. 22:2), “the one separated (נְזִיר) from his brothers” (Gen. 49:26). Here too, they drew away from being near the Omnipresent.

They have forsaken the Lord, that is, the service of the Lord.

נאצו They have provoked unto anger.

נזורו. They are gone away. Root נזר ‘to separate’ ; comp. וינזרו that they separate themselves (Lev. 22:2). נָזוֹרוּ is formed like יָבׂלוּ ‘ they could ’ (Exod. 8:14). Many take it as Niphal of זור ‘ to separate ’; comp. נָכוֹנוּ ‘ they are prepared ’ (Prov. 19:29); Niphal of כּוּן, ‘ to stand.

Why are you beaten... A person who was punished (lit. beaten) and repeats his sinhis friend admonishes him and says to him, For this you have been punished, yet you do not take heart to say, ‘For this I have been punished. I will not repeat it again.’ Here too, why are you beaten since you continue disobedience, to turn away from following the Omnipresent? Is not every head afflicted with illness and every heart with malaise? Why then do you not understand?

תֻּבּוּ. Should ye be stricken. The ת in תֻּבּוּ, they sat down. (Deuter. 33:3), is part of the root—תֻּבּוּ being Pual of תכה ; comp. וְשֻׁפּוּ and they stick out (Job 33:21)—but here it is the prefix representing the second person; תֻּבּוּ being Hophal of נכה.—You will revolt more and more. The more you are smitten, the more you revolt, while the proper way for you would be to repent; comp., And in the time of his—Ahaz, king of Judah’s—distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord. (2 Chr. 28:22.)

סָרָה Rebellious. Adjective; root סרר, ‘to be rebellious,’ comp. סורר, ‘rebellious’ (Deuter. 21:18); supply מלה or דברה ‘ word;’ סרה may also be taken as a substantive, ‘ rebellion.’

The whole head is sick. Whereupon shall ye be stricken? for the whole head is afflicted already with all kinds of sickness, etc. The head and heart are mentioned as the principal parts of the body.

דַּוָּי Faint. Adjective; a form like נַּנָּב ‘ thievish,’ סַלָּח ‘ placable.

soundness An expression of perfection, sound without pain.

מְתוֹם A place containing soundness (תּוֹם ‘ soundness or integrity’). The form of the word is irregular, for it should be מָתוֹם like מָעוֹז (25:4). The same form is used Ps. 38:4. R. Moses Hakkohen says that מְתוֹם is the same as מְתִים ‘ people ;’ he quotes a parallel, Judges 20:48, and explains our verse, there is nothing in them that is good for man; but this explanation is rather far-fetched.

wounds Heb. פֶּצַע, i.e., a wound of a sword.

פצע Wounds. Supply the word רק ‘only,’ ‘but,’ before פצע. There is no soundness in him ; there are but wounds and bruises ; comp. שיאכל ושתה אין טוב באדם There is nothing good for man but that he should eat and drink. (Eccles. 2:24).

contusions Heb. חַבּוּרָה, an expression of a bruise. [Some editions read:] Other bruises.

פצע A wound caused by the breaking of the bone.

and lacerated sores Jonathan renders: מְרַסְסָא, lacerated and crushed.

חבורת A sore attended with suppuration. >

and lacerated sores demarcejjre, in O.F., and in the language of the Talmud, we find, “he bumped (טַרְיֵה) his head” (Chullin 45b). Menahem explained it as an expression of moisture, i.e., moist and wet, always oozing [muyte in O.F.].

טריה Fresh,¹⁸A. V., Putrefying. not yet dry (comp. Judges 15:15); in Arabic the word طرا has the same meaning. ..

they have not been sprinkled These lesions were not sprinkled with medicinal powders by physicians. This is an expression of: (Job 18:15) “Sulphur shall be sprinkled (יְזֹרֶה) on his dwelling.” Menahem explained it as an expression of healing, as in (Jeremiah 30:13): “No one pronounced your judgment for healing (לְמָזוֹר).”

זׂרוּ They have been squeezed.¹⁹A. V., They have been closed. Root זׁרד ‘ to squeeze ’ (comp. Judges 6:38). The wound cannot be healed unless the matter is removed from it.

neither was it softened with oil Their wound was not softened with oil, as is customary with other wounds. It would be inappropriate to say here, “They were not softened with oil,” for they soften only the place of the sore, not the wound and the contusion but the sprinkling and the bandaging applies to all three, [i.e., the wound, the contusion, and the lacerated sore.] Therefore, the plural number applies to them; the lesions were not sprinkled and not bandaged. Jonathan interprets the entire verse figuratively, referring to the fact that they were soiled and afflicted with iniquity. Accordingly, he rendered, “From the sole of the foot until the head,” from the smallest to the greatest, there is no soundness. There is none good among them, wounds and contusions, rebellious deeds, iniquities, and inadvertent sins. they have not been sprinkled... i.e., they have not been healed by repenting wholeheartedly, nor has it been softened with oil, not even a trace of repentant thought has entered their heart.

חבשו They have been bound up. Root חבש ‘ to compress,’ ‘to bind up ’ (comp. חובש ‘ruler,’ 3:7).²⁰Ibn Ezra seems to identify ruler with oppressor. Compare his commentary on 3:7, and Eccles. 4:16, The laws of kings are tyrannical.

בַּשָּׁמֶן With the oil.²¹A. V., With ointment. With the oil, which the cure of the wound requires.

in your presence, strangers devour it Before your eyes, your enemies will devour it.

Your country, etc. What has been said hitherto in figurative expressions is now repeated in plain language. All their land has been smitten, a part of it is desolate, without inhabitants, a part destroyed by fire, another part robbed of its produce by strangers.

and desolate of you as a heritage turned over to strangers, which is desolate of its owners. Jonathan renders in this manner.

אכלים אתה Devour it. Devour its produce; comp. בעצבון תאכלנה In sorrow shalt thou eat of it. (Gen. 3:17.)

ושממה And desolate. Supply ארצכם ‘ your country ’—and your country is desolate.²²It is not quite clear what Ibn Ezra means by this remark; perhaps that the expressive closing sentence, ושממה כמהפכת זרים And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers, is to be taken in a more comprehensive sense, and referred to the general term ארצכם your country, which includes עריכם your cities, and אדמתכם your land. זרים can be derived from זרם ‘ tempest ’ (32:2); the final מ would then be not a sign of the plural, but one of the radical letters; if so, if this derivation be correct, the two words זרים of this verse are two different grammatical forms.²³This is the opinion of Saadiah, attacked by R. Adonim, because of זָרים being different from the singular זָרֶם and the plural זְרָמִים, but defended by Ibn Ezra in his Sephath Yether (No. 22); this is one of the many instances of two nouns, different in form but identical in meaning, being formed from the same root; זֶרֶם ═ זָרִים ‘ tempest.’

And the daughter of Zion shall be left devoid of its inhabitants, for they will be exiled from its midst, as a hut in a vineyard, made by a watchman, and when the produce of the vineyard is gathered, he leaves his hut and goes away, after they gather it.

And the daughter of Zion is left, etc. The fortified cities of Judah will be taken and only Zion will be left.

like a lodge in a cucumber field As the lodge, which the watchman made at the end of a cucumber field, to watch its cucumber, is left, for after it is gathered, he leaves it and goes away; the one in the vineyard is called a hut since he lives in it day and night; by day, he guards it from the birds and by night from the thieves, b ut cucumbers are hard, and there is no fear of the birds, and one need not watch them by day. It is, therefore, called a lodge since it is a place of lodging at night. Jonathan renders: Like a bed in a lodge (again repeated in Hebrew), [in] a cucumber field, in a cucumber field after it has been picked (בָּתַר דְאַבְעָיוּהִי), after it has been picked. [This is the expression of the Mishnah] (Peah 4:5): “There are three gatherings (אַבְעָיוֹת) a day.”

סוכה The hut.²⁴A. V., Cottage. The place for the watchman ; that is, the temple built in honour of the Almighty.

like a besieged city Like a city which was besieged, and they make huts around it to hide the troops, and when they give up the siege [lit., when they go away from it], they leave them and go away. All this is Jonathan’s translation.

מלונה A lodge, where the watchman stays through the night. במקשה In the garden of cucumbers.

נצורה Ruined²⁵A. V., Besieged. (comp. 65:4)

Had not the Lord of Hosts left us a remnant by His own volition and with His mercy, not because of our merits.

Except the Lord of hosts, etc. These are the words of the Israelites, whom the prophet introduces now speaking.

we would soon be like Sodom All of us would be destroyed.

כמעָט֑ Very small. Join with שׂריד ‘remnant,’ because of its disjunctive accent; for it is an important rule, that the most careful notice should be taken of the accents.²⁶The author himself sometimes overlooks this important rule; as, for instance, in his remark to ver. 1, sub voce the son of Amoz.

rulers of Sodom Princes whose deeds are like those of Sodom. From here, [the Rabbis] deduced that a person should not open his mouth to Satan.

Hear the word of the Lord, etc. The prophet replies to their complaint, We are like Sodom, by saying, If you were so, it would be but just, for your princes are like the princes of Sodom,—this is meant by the address, Ye rulers of Sodom—and the people is like the people of Gomorrah.

I am sated with the burnt-offerings of rams This is similar to: “Lest he have too much of you and hate you,” (Proverbs 25:18).

To what purpose, etc. Why should I leave you longer in the land ? Is it for the sake of the multitude of your burnt offerings ? I am full, etc. An anthropomorphism ; in reality, He does not want anything; comp. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, etc. (Ps. 1. 12 ff).

Why do I need your many sacrifices: Because the primary point of a sacrifice is to repent and if you remain rebellious the sacrifice does not help.

fattened cattle Fattened cattle and sheep.

אילים Large sheep.²⁷A. V., Rams.

I do not want Since you transgress My Torah, the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination [from Prov. 21:27].

מריאים A species of cattle, akin to the ox, but larger; its fat is prohibited.²⁸In the Rabbinical writings חֵלֶב is the forbidden fat, שׁוּמָן the permitted. The fat of the quadrupeds that were allowed to be eaten and were also admitted as offerings upon the altar, is prohibited (Leviticus 7:25); the fat of those that were not employed as sacrifices, but might serve as food to the Israelites, is permitted. In the former case the animals were called בהמה ‘ cattle’, in the latter חיה ‘beasts.’ According to Ibn Ezra מריא is a בהמה ; according to Saadiah it is a חיה (جاموس chamois). Comp. I. E. on Am. 5:22. The Gaon²⁹R. Hai (ibid.) compares מריאים fed beasts with מרא to feed (Mishnah Sabbath 24:3).

כבשים The young of the flock.³⁰A. V., Lambs.

עתודים The old of the flock³¹A. V., He-goats. (comp. Gen. 31:10)

who requested this of you, to trample My courts to trample [the preposition is absent in the Hebrew] My courts, since your heart is not whole with Me.

לפני═פני Before me; it is not the object of לֵרָאוֹח ‘ to be seen.’³²פעול, object, is the person or thing to which the action is directed; the verb may be active or passive; e.g., לראות פני, according to this opinion, rejected by I. E., When my face is seen; ‘my face’ is called object, though the nominative case. Comp. I. E. on Exod. 23:15.

רמוס To tread. Infinitive.

You shall bring no more vain meal-offerings I warn you, you shall not bring Me your vain meal- offering, for the smoke that rises from it is smoke of abomination to Me, and not for My satisfaction.

לא תוסיפו Ye shall not continue. A prohibition (comp. Deut. 4:2); not a mere future.

New moons and Sabbaths, calling, convocations, I cannot... and [sic, does not appear in Parshandatha] to call convocations, i.e., New Moons and Sabbaths when you gather to call a convocation and an assembly on them, I cannot bear the iniquity in your hearts that is inclined to paganism, and the convocation with it, for these two things are incompatible: to call a convocation to gather before Me, and the iniquity that is in your hearts for paganism, and you do not take it out of your hearts.

להביא═הביא To bring. Vain oblations, etc. For your oblation is vain in mine eyes, and your incense an abomination.

ראש חדש═חדש Day of the new moon. In the Pentateuch it is clearly stated³³I. E. refers perhaps to the words עלת חדש, Num. 28:14, which are the same as עלת ראש חדש, the burnt offering of the new moon. In his commentary on Exod. 12:2 he shows in the form of a short dialogue between R. Moses Hakkohen and his opponents, that חדש signifies New moon. Comp. I. E. on Exod. 19:1 and Num. 28:14. The word חדש signifies also ‘month,’ that is, the time from one new moon to the other; as שבת, originally ‘ Sabbath,’ is also used to signify the time which passes between one Sabbath and the other, the week. that the word bears this meaning, New-moon.

קרא מקרא That you proclaim them to be holy convocations.³⁴A. V., The calling of assemblies. Comp. Lev. 23:2. Isaiah mentions these festivals, together with the burnt offerings and oblations, because of the additional offering (מוסף) brought on such days.³⁵Comp. Num. 28 and xxix.

לא אוכל I cannot bear. Supply the word נְשאׁ, ‘to bear.’ Comp. חמור לחם an ass laden with bread (1 Sam. 16:20).

עצרה Restraint. Comp. עׂצֶר ‘prison’ (53:8). Restraint from doing any work. עצרת (Lev. 23:36) has the same meaning. Iniquity and restraint.³⁶A. V., Even the solemn meeting. God cannot bear iniquity coupled with the observance of holy days; for of what use is it to keep holy days and to do evil at the same time.

They are a trouble unto me. These words imply the threat, I shall therefore banish you, and they—the festivals—will then cease.

I am weary. A figurative expression.

And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you because your hands are full of blood.

ובפרשכם And when ye spread forth. The Hirik under ר is instead of Segol.³⁷The infinitive Piel is פָּרֵש ; when כֶם is added the syllable רֵש loses the accent, and the long vowel Zere must therefore be shortened; this is usually done by changing Zere into Segol; to change it into Hirek, as in וּבְפֽרִשְׁכֶם, is exceptional.

blood Murder.

I will hide mine eyes from you. I will keep away mercy from you.

I will not hear. These words contain the same idea, I will not help you.

Your hands are full of blood. Because your hands, etc. Blood. Bloodshed.

Wash, cleanse yourselves Voweled with a ‘patach,’ the imperative form, since it is derived from רְחַץ, but רָחֲצוּ, [in the past tense, is voweled with a ‘kamatz’ because it is derived from רָחַץ].

Wash. Wash your hands of the blood they have shed.

Wash, cleanse yourselves, remove, learn, seek, strengthen, perform justice, plead, go Ten exhortations of the expression of repentance are [listed] here, corresponding to the Ten Days of Penitence and to the ten verses of Kingship, Remembrances, and Shofaroth [in the musaf service of Rosh Hashanah].

הִתְזַכּוּ═הִזַּכּוּ Make you clean. It is Hithpael; the ת is absorbed in the ז; comp. לַמִּהְטַהֵר═לַמִּטַּהֵר unto him that purifies himself (Lev. 14:4)

cease to do evil Desist from your evil deeds.

to do evil Heb. הרע, like לְהָרֵעַ, to do evil. [Rashi explains this because the preposition is absent in Hebrew.] Scripture does not have to write מֵהָרֵעַ, desist from doing evil, for so does the Biblical language treat the expression of חֲדָלָה, stopping, [e.g.,] “and he failed to make (לַעֲשׂוֹת) the Pesach” (Num. 9:13); “until he stopped counting (לִסְפֹּר)” (Gen. 41:49). That is to say, the counting stopped, the making failed, here too, stop the evildoing.

Learn It is punctuated ‘raphe,’ weak, without a dagesh. This is from the form לָמֹד, learn to do good. One who teaches himself is of the ‘kal’ form. Therefore, its imperative plural is voweled with a ‘chirik’ like אִמְרוּ, שִׁמְעוּ, but one who teaches others is of the form of the ‘heavy conjugation’ (pi’el) with a ‘dagesh,’ and if one comes to command a number of people, the word is voweled לַמְּדוּ. And so, דִּרְשׁוּ, from the form דְרשׁ, but אַשְּׁרוּ in which the ‘shin’ has a ‘dagesh,’ is from the ‘heavy conjugation,’ and from the form אַשֵּׁר ; therefore, the imperative plural is voweled with a ‘patach’ like בַּשְּׂרוּ, סַפְּרוּ, דַּבְּרוּ.

להיטב═היטב To do well. It is infinitive.

strengthen the robbed Heb. אַשְּׁרוּ חָמוֹץ. This is a Mishnaic term, אֲשַׁרְנוּהִי, “we have verified it” (Ketuboth 21a); “if I had strength (אֲיַשֵּׁר)” (Gittin 30b); “May your strength be strengthened (יִישַׁר)” (Shabbath 87a). Another explanation is: Lead him in the path of truth to acquire what rightfully belongs to him. An expression of: (Job 23:11) “My foot held its path (בֲּאֲשׁוּרוֹ)”; (Prov. 23:19) “And go (וְאַשֵׁר) in the way of your heart.”

אשרו Straighten.³⁸A. V., Relieve. Root א ; ישר replaces the radical י ; the reverse is the case in תתאמרו═תִּתְיַמָּרוּ you shall boast yourselves(61:6).

(perform justice So-and-so is innocent and so-and- so is guilty.

חמוץ Cruel.³⁹A. V., The oppressed. An adjective, like קרוב ‘ near ;’ comp. חומץ ‘ cruel ’ (Ps. 71:4). Many explain אשרו חמוץ Give due consideration to the cause, do not judge off hand ; the meaning of אשרו would then be, Praise ye (comp. Gen. 30:13).⁴⁰The translation of the words אשרו חמוץ, according to this explanation, would be : Praise him who is considerate in judgment. This is the opinion of Raba, recorded in Talm. Babl. Sanhedrin 35. אשרו דײן שמחמץ את דינו Praise the judge, who gives his judgment time to ferment. חמוץ is then derived from חָמֵץ dough which had sufficient time to rise. In the courts of law of the Jews, it was the rule that the execution of the sentence of death, after the completion of the trial, should be deferred till the following day, in order to be considered and discussed a second time. (Talm. 1. c.)

plead the case of the widow Endeavor in their quarrel to plead for her, for she cannot go out to pursue her opponents.)

the robbed Heb. חָמוֹץ, similar to (Ps. 71:4) “from the hand of the unrighteous and the robber (וּמְחַמֵּץ).”

Come now, let us debate together, I and you, and we will know who offended whom, and if you offended Me, I still give you hope to repent.

ונוכחה. Some say that God is now speaking ; Let us—God and Israel—reason together (comp. Mic. 6:2); but I think the words may well be assigned to the prophet; as if he said God told me that we—you, Israel, and I—should submit to His rebuke ; for the prophet himself was not entirely without blame, as he reports, And He reproved me, that I should not walk, etc. (8:11), as I shall explain below (6:5).

If your sins prove to be like crimson Stained before Me like crimson red, I will make them as white as snow.

שנים Scarlet (comp. Exod. 25:4). The idea contained in this verse is the reverse of that conveyed by the words of Jeremiah, Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me (Jerem. 2:22); namely, the iniquity will depart, and you will again be free from all sin. The same is expressed by the words Wash you, etc. (ver. 16).

says the Lord [The verb is in the future form to denote that] He always says this to you, like: (Num. 9:20) “By the word of the Lord they would camp (יַחֲנוּ),” also a future form. Another explanation is: Come now, let us debate. What is written above this? “Cease to do evil; learn to do good.” And after you return to Me, come now, and let us debate together, to notify Me, “We have done what is incumbent upon us; You do what is incumbent upon You;” and I say, “If your sins prove to be like crimson, they will become white as snow...”

Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. A repetition of the same idea.

as crimson dye Heb. תּוֹלָע, lit. a worm. Dye with which they dye fabrics red. They are kernels, each one of which has a worm inside it. Hence the name תּוֹלָע.

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Otherwise, the strangers before-mentioned (ver. 7) will consume it.

for the mouth of the Lord spoke Where did He speak? (Lev. 26:25) “And I will bring upon you a sword.”

You shall be devoured with the sword. That is to say, If you be obedient you shall eat the good, and if you rebel you shall be devoured with the sword. Supply before חֶרֶב ‘ the sword,’ either the verbal noun אֲכִילַת. ‘ a devouring of,’ or the preposition ב ‘ with ’ ; comp. בבית ═ בית ‘ in the house ’ (2 Kings 18:15).

For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Be sure that this prediction will be fulfilled, for the mouth, etc.⁴¹The words וזה האמת, and this is the truth, are very often used by I. E. in his commentaries to express his approval of an opinion quoted by him. They might here also be taken in the same sense, so as to indicate that I. E. was in favour of the last mentioned explanation, בחרב ═ חרב ; but then the words for the mouth, etc., would be quite superfluous, or I. E.’s remark on them must be missing. In the translation they explain the causal conjunction כי ‘ for,’ in the phrase כי ה׳ דבר. (Comp. I. E. on Mic. 4:4.)

a harlot Astray from her God.

The prophet has thus reproved the people but they do not listen.

city which was faithful and full of justice, and righteousness would lodge therein, but now murderers.

How is the faithful city become an harlot. Jerusalem is like a woman that has become faithless to her husband, after having been a faithful wife.

full of justice Heb. מְלֵאֲתִי מִשְׁפָּט [equivalent to מְלֵאַתמִשְׁפָּט, the ‘yud’ being superfluous,] as in (Lamentations 1:1) רַבָּתִי עָם, “great in population” [equivalent to רַבַּתעָם].

מלאתי Full of. The י is paragogic as in גנבתי the theft of (Gen. 31:39.)⁴²The construct state of גנבה ,מלאה is regularly גנבַת מלאַת.

in which righteousness would lodge The daily dawn sacrifice would atone for the sins [committed] at night, and the daily afternoon [sacrifice] would atone for those of the day. Another explanation is that they would allow capital cases to rest overnight when they could find no merit for him, [i.e., for the defendant;] they would not conclude his verdict until the morrow, perhaps they would find a merit for him, and now they have become murderers. [We find in] Pesikta [d’Rav Kahana p. 121a]: Rabbi Menahem bar Oshia [according to Parshandatha,] Rabbi Phinehas in the name of Rabbi Oshia said: Four hundred eighty-one synagogues were in Jerusalem, corresponding to the numerical value of מְלֵאֲתִי.

ילין Was lodging. The future is here used for the imperfect,⁴³זמן עומד literally, the standing time, duration. As a form of the verb it indicates that the action has commenced already, but is not yet finished. This is always the case with the present tense, which is therefore called by I. E זמן עומד. But the imperfect was lodging, expressing continuation, repetition or duration is likewise included in this term. which has no special form in Hebrew.

and now murderers They killed Uriah; they killed Zechariah.

מרצחים Murderers. Literally, they that cause to murder. It is participle Piel, and has a causative meaning, referring to the judges.^{43 *}Bad judges cause to murder, by ordering the execution of innocent persons.

Your silver has become dross They would make copper coins and plate them with silver, in order to cheat with them.

Thy silver. Metaphor for judges and princes ; this verse is, therefore, followed by, Thy princes are rebellious. Thy silver is become dross. The best of the people are like dross.

your wine is diluted with water Your drinks are mixed with water, as is stated in Pesikta (122b). [The word] means ‘mixed,’ although there is no similar word in Scripture to prove it, but the Midrash Aggadah explains (Ecc. 2:2): “Of laughter I said, it makes one mad (מְהוֹלָל)” to mean that it is confused, or mixed up.

מהול Mixed. The ה is one of the radical letters. Hapax legomenon.

rebellious Deviating from the straight path.

שלמנים Rewards. (Comp. Exod. 22:5). They perverted judgment; the judge said, Give me such and such a sum, and it shall stand thee in good part in thy lawsuit with thy neighbour.

and runs after payments This word is similar to the Talmudic תַּשְׁלוּמִין. Jonathan paraphrases: One man says to another, Do me a favor in my case, and I will repay you in your case. This refers to a judge who was a robber, and the robbery victim complains about him before another judge. This one says to him, Declare me innocent today, and I will repay you when they complain about you before me. This is the meaning of running after payments.

To the orphan—of whom they are not afraid. They judge not. That is, they do not render justice.

and the quarrel of the widow does not come to them The widow comes to complain, and the orphan is coming out, when this one meets him and asks him, What did you accomplish in your case? He replies, All day long I toiled at work, but I did not accomplish anything. And this one turns around and says, If this one, who is a man, did not accomplish anything, surely I will not. This is the meaning of, “the orphan they do not judge, and the quarrel of the widow does not come to them” at all.

The cause of the widow—which she has to bring forward. Doth not come unto them: they do not like to hear her cause, therefore it does not come before them.

says the Master Who possesses everything, and in Whose power it is to uproot you from your land and to settle others in it.

נאום The word of. A noun (comp. Jer. 23:31). To use נֻם instead of נאום is a blunder,⁴⁴This seems to be an attack on those Paytanim who use נם instead of נאם, with omission of א. But in his Moznaim, a grammatical pamphlet, the author adduces several instances in which א is omitted. (See Moznaim sub voce נעל ים). for א cannot be omitted.

the Mighty One of Israel the strength of Israel.

The Lord. This is added because the judges appear as the lords of the earth.

Oh Heb. הוי. An expression of preparation and announcement, and similar to this is (Zech. 2:10): “Ho, ho, (הוי הוי) flee from the land of the north.” And let all know that I will console Myself of My adversaries, who angered Me with their deeds.

The Lord of hosts. He is truly the Lord, and the hosts of the universe are His witnesses. Why the name of God is joined, in the construct state, to צבאות, though being a proper noun, is explained in the Book of Samuel.⁴⁵Read Book of Exodus. The word Samuel seems to be a mistake which has its origin in the abbreviation (שמות ═) שמו׳ being wrongly completed as שמואל. Ibn Ezra, on Ex. 3:14, observes, that the tetragrammaton is a proper noun; but although generally proper nouns in Hebrew cannot be joined to a genitive, there are a few exceptions; and the connexion of the name of God with the genitive of צבאות, is one of them; this exception is justified, because He is not only the Absolute Being, but also the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. The name of God may therefore be considered as identical with the common noun Ruler, and be followed by a genitive. It is, however, possible that the words מפורש בשמואל are correct, and refer to 2 Sam. 6:2, to the statement that the holy ark is called by His name, whence I. E. deduces, that the name of God is both a proper noun and a common noun. Comp. Yesod Mora, 100:12.

The mighty One of Israel, and The Lord of hosts compose a parallelism, in which Israel on earth beneath corresponds to the hosts of heaven above, for the Israelites are likewise called the hosts of God (comp. Exod. 12:41).

אוי ═ חוי Woe.⁴⁶See note 12. Woe unto them when I shall do the following thing.

I will ease me of mine adversaries. I will find comfort for their having provoked me. An anthropomorphism.

And I will return My hand upon you One blow after another, until the transgressors have been completely destroyed.

ידי My hand; that is, my smiting (comp. Exod. 9:3).

as with lye This is an expression meaning soap [sbon in O.F., savon (in modern French)]. Its deviation is an expression of cleanliness, similar to (Ps. 24:4): “and pure (בַּר) of heart,” since it cleanses the garment of its stains.

כבור As if it were with soap ; ═ בור בורית ‘ soap ’; or more correctly, purely (comp. Ps. 18:25).

your dross mentioned above, as: “Your silver has become dross”; a mixture of silver with copper is called dross. Here too, a mixture of the wicked with the righteous. I will destroy the transgressors, who are all dross.

Thy dross. This expression reverts to the former metaphor, thy silver is become dross.

all your tin The tin mixed with silver, that is to say, the wicked among you. בְדִיל is called estejjn [etain] in O.F. [tin].

בדיליך Thy tin. R. Moses Hakkohen remarks, that the names of the seven kinds of metal are not found in the Bible in the plural ; he forgets בדיליך, which is plural; the singular would be בדילֵך .⁴⁷I. E. mentions in his Moznaim, sub voce היחידים, two exceptions: בדיליך ‘thy tin,’ and כספיהם ‘their silver’ (Gen. 42:25). R. Moses Hakkohen does not say the seven kinds of metal, but ועפרת זהב וכסף ונחשת וברזל ובדיל Gold, silver, brass, iron, tin, lead. I. E. makes seven out of these six by applying כסף to silver and mercury (כסף חי)

as at first I will appoint for you pious judges.

And I will restore thy judges, etc. When the kingdom of Israel, the ten tribes, with their judges, shall cease here, and the judges of Ahaz shall likewise have gone, Hezekiah will appoint upright judges ; and this is in fact recorded of him.⁴⁸This fact is mentioned neither in the book of Kings nor in the Chronicles.

City of Righteousness As in the beginning, righteousness will lodge therein.

As at first. As in the days of David and Solomon. The ב in כבראשנה is not essential.

shall be redeemed through justice Since there will be in it people who practice justice.

Zion – This begins a new section now that the prophet has finished the prophecy which he spoke about Yehudah and Jerusalem from the beginning of the book until now. If you look carefully you will see that the rebuke which he delivered from the beginning of the book until the twenty first verse, which is the prophecy that particularly concerns Yehudah, was about acts between the people and Gd – sacrifices, repentance and prayer. Then most of the rebuke which he gives from the verse “How has she become a harlot…” (Isaiah 1:21) is dealing with matters between people like forgery, fraud and the perversion of justice. This is because sins against Gd were more common among the people of Yehudah who lived outside of Jerusalem, but in the capitol city of Jerusalem sins between people were more common because of the amount of business and trade done there. Now the seer closed his words by saying that each one will find his reparation through the sin he himself committed, and by fixing his crookedness he will return to his place.

Zion shall be redeemed, etc. Zion will, in consequence of her justice, be redeemed out of the hand of Sennacherib.

shall be redeemed from her iniquities.

Zion – The capitol city which sinned through perverting justice. Shall be redeemed through justice – the moment you repent and do justice, you will be saved and redeemed.

And her returning people.⁴⁹A. V., And her converts. The people that will repent. Supply יפדו will be redeemed.

and her penitent those penitent among them. (through righteousness through those who make themselves righteousthrough justice and through righteousness—that are in her midst [or,] among them.)

And her penitent through righteousness – This is referring to the tribe of Yehudah who returned to Zion from the exile, whose sin was in perverting righteousness between man and Gd. They will be redeemed through righteousness – by showing the righteousness of their actions before their Maker and Creator.

"With righteousness." With those within her who justify themselves with justice and righteousness.

And destruction shall come upon rebels... For with all these expressions he reproved them above: and they rebelled against Me (verse 2), sinful nation; they forsook the Lord (verse 4).

פושעים Transgressors. They that rebel against authority.⁵⁰Comp. ver. 2. They are worse than חטאים sinners. And the destruction of the transgressors shall be TOGETHER. ALL the fortified towns of Judah shall be captured.

rebels Rebels and sectarians and those who worship idols.

And they that forsake the Lord, etc. The ordinary repetition of the same idea.

and sinners Apostates guilty of other sins.

of the elms Heb. מֵאֵלִים, an expression derived from אֵלָה, a species of tree called olme in O.F. [orme in modern French, an elm].

אילים Terebinths. The singular is אלה ; it has a masculine termination in the plural like נָשִׁים of אִשָּׁח woman, and סאים of סאה measure (Gen. 18:6); comp. The gardens, which, in the corresponding phrase, balances terebinths.⁵¹This remark is made because of אילים being likewise the plural of איל ‘ram.’

that you desired to worship idols under them, similar to what is stated (Hosea 4:13): “Under the oak and the aspen, and the elm, for its shade is good.”

יבשו They shall be ashamed. Some say that the י is here used instead of ת, the third instead of the second person, and explain many other instances in the same way; but I think that the third person of יכלו they shall be consumed of the preceding verse, is continued in יבשל, and in חמדתם ye have desired, passes over to the second person; there are many instances like it.

because of the gardens There they would worship idols, as it is stated (infra 66:17): “Those who prepare themselves and purify themselves for the gardens.”

ותחפרו And ye shall be confounded

whose leaves wilt Its leaf ([Other editions read:] whose leaf) wilts, becomes wilted [flatisant in O. F.]. When heat or cold comes upon it, it wilts and its moisture is lost and destroyed. [The word] נבל is not an expression of decay like בלה, for no ‘nun’ is found in that expression, but נבל [is an expression of something that becomes fatigued and its strength is curtailed, from the root of] נָבֹל תִּבֹּל (Exod. 18: 18), which Onkelos renders: You will surely be exhausted.

For he shall be as an oak tree, etc. After having said that they shall be ashamed of the oak trees they have coveted and stolen, the prophet compares them to an oak tree whose leaves have withered.

that has no water to water its seeds; to the thing with which they sin, he compares their punishment.

נובלת עליה Whose leaf fadeth. Literally, which is withering with regard to its leaves; comp. ותאבדו דרך, And you shall perish with regard to the way (Ps. 2:12); similarly we say in the Confession, (קשינו ערף (ודוי We are stiff with regard to our neck. ⁵²The confession or וִדּוּי is a portion of the divine service for the Day of Atonement (10th of Tishri). כאלה As an oak. This proves that מאי לים(ver. 29) is the plural of אלה oak, especially since this is likewise followed by and as a garden, etc.⁵³See note 51.

the[ir] strength with which they take from the poor by force and rob them and strengthen themselves with the money. That money will become as tow, which is shaken out of the flax, which is light and easily ignited.

החסון. The strong. Adjective; the substantive is חוסן strength.

and its perpetrator The one who amasses this power will become as a spark of fire, and they will burn, one with the other. as a spark Heb. וּפֹעֲלוֹ לְנִיצוֹץ, estencele in O.F. [etincelle in modern French], a spark. Jonathan renders וְעוֹבַד יְדֵיהוֹן, and the work of their hands. This does not follow the Hebrew, however, for, were it so, it would have to be voweled וּפָעֳלוּ with a ‘kamatz- chatuf,’ a hurried ‘kamatz,’ and it would be explained as an expression of work. Now, that it is voweled with a ‘cholam,’ it is an expression of a worker, or perpetrator.

נעורת Tow. That which is shaken off (נער to shake) from the flax.

with no one to extinguish Jonathan renders: And no one will pity them.

לניצוץ As a spark (comp. Ez. 1:7). This verse refers to the idols, which are made strong, that they should not shake, but which those who formed them will burn in time of trouble, because they helped not; but the workmen themselves will likewise be burnt; ..

this is meant by and they will both burn. (Comp. Exod. 3:3.)

And none shall quench. And none shall help.