פּירוש אויף ישעיהו 51:14

“Quickly the crouching one is freed, he is not cut down and slain” [51:14]. You should not rely on the nations, that they would not harm you, since you will soon be redeemed from the exile. Your persecution in the exile will soon be ended. If the exile is compared to a grave, in any event you will not die in the exile. If some will die in the exile, they will rise again at the resurrection of the dead. They will have enough food in the exile among the nations. Some sages say that you should not be afraid of the nations. They are people who will soon die and because he lives, he is very weak. When he eats too much, his stomach hurts. He must have a bowel movement so that he does not burst, or he will die and will come to a grave. If you want to say that he wants to eat nothing, then he must die of hunger. Concerning this, the verse says, “he shall not want for food” [51:14]. That is to say, he must see that no food is lacking. He must eat every day so that he should not die.¹Radak, Isaiah, 51:14.

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.

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

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).