Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Isaias 19:18

ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים, G’d blew into man some of the spirit prevailing in the highest regions on earth. Whereas the life force of the animals is described as נפש חיים, something abstract but originating in physical earth, man’s life force is called here נשמה, to alert us to the fact that the origin of this life force is not physical, has not been supplied by earth, in fact could not have been supplied by earth. Our verse illustrates what G’d had meant when He had announced that man would be בצלמנו כדמותנו, “in Our image, Our likeness.” (1,24). This is so in spite of the fact that sometimes man is equipped additionally with רוח and נפש. The expression נשמה is reserved exclusively for describing man, whereas the other two expressions, describing non-tangible animalistic forms of energy called “life-force,” are shared by man and beast. You may argue that the Torah describes all of the living creatures by invoking the term נשמה in Genesis 7,22. We are told there: כל אשר נשמת רוח חיים באפיו וגו', “every creature which had the soul and spirit of life in its nostrils… died.” We must understand that verse as meaning that man who possessed both a נשמה as well as רוח חיים, died.”

WHO HATH MADE MAN’S MOUTH? This is a reference to man’s power of speech because it resides in the mouth. Similarly: Safa echad²⁷⁵Genesis 11:1. [literally: “one lip”] (one language); that speak ‘s’fath’ Canaan²⁷⁶Isaiah 19:18. [literally: “the lip of”] (the language of Canaan).

all those around Him who hear of this salvation, and so they did, as it is stated (Isa. 19:18): “there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing to the Lord of Hosts.”

the monuments of Beth-shemesh The altars that those who proselytized in the days of Hezekiah had made there Sennacherib’s captives whom he brought from Cush and from Egypt before Jerusalem on the day of his downfall, as it is stated “On that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing to the Lord of Hosts one of which will be called ‘the city of Heres’” (Isa. 19.18). Jonathan renders: The city of Beth-shemesh, which is destined to be destroyed, will be said to be one of them.