חזון The vision of. The נ is not radical.¹

footnotes: ¹ The root of חזון is חזה to see; in חזון the radical ה is omitted, and וֹן is added, as in קדמון ,זכרון ,חשבון.

The son of Amoz. There exists an opinion, though a solitary one,² that when the father of a prophet is mentioned by name, he also was a prophet; another³ opinion is, that Isaiah was a member of the royal family, that his father Amoz and Amaziah⁴ 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 prophet⁵ (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. ⁶ Thus the forefathers of Zephania are named (Zeph. 1:1), because the king Hezekiah was one of them.

footnotes: ² This is the opinion of R. Johanan (comp. Midrash Rabba, Leviticus 6), and Ulla (comp. Talmud Babli, Megilla 15a). ³ R. Levi said, ‘ We know by tradition that Amoz and Amaziah were brothers.’ (Talmud Babli, Megilla 10b.) ⁴ Amaziah was king of Juda, before Uzziah, 835—806. ⁵ A. V. The prophet, the son of Amoz. ⁶ This 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

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).⁷ If this statement is based on tradition,⁸ it may be accepted.

footnotes: ⁷ Manasse 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. ⁸ Simeon 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.

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.’⁹).—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.

footnotes: ⁹ By 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

For the Lord speaketh. Listen to His word, since it is the Lord that speaketh ; or, because the Lord has commanded you to listen.¹⁰

footnotes: ¹⁰ According 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).¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ This 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).

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

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., 24iMy 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.¹² The meaning of the whole verse is, I have brought them up, but they do not know me.

footnotes: ¹² In Hebrew the repetition is used in the prophetical but not in the historical style.—I. E. on Ex. 14:19.

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).¹³ The second person is, therefore, used in the next verse, Why should ye be stricken any more.

footnotes: ¹³ In 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.

כֶבֶד Laden with. An adjective in the construct state; comp. עֶרֶל לב ועֶרֶל בשר, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh (Ez. 44:9).¹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁴ כֶּבֶד 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.

Seed of evil doers. They and their forefathers have been wicked ; or, their father was an Amorite, their mother a Hittite (Ez. 16:3),¹⁵ as I shall explain.¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁵ The Israelites are, according to this explanation, called a seed of evil-doers, because their forefathers, the ancestors of Abraham, were idolators. ¹⁶ The commentary of Ibn Ezra on Ezekiel is not known.

משחיתים Corrupters. That corrupt their soul or their way.¹⁷

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

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.

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.

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.

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).

פצע A wound caused by the breaking of the bone.

חבורת A sore attended with suppuration.

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

footnotes: ¹⁸ A. V., Putrefying.

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

footnotes: ¹⁹ A. V., They have been closed.

חבשו They have been bound up. Root חבש ‘ to compress,’ ‘to bind up ’ (comp. חובש ‘ruler,’ 3:7).²⁰

footnotes: ²⁰ Ibn 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.²¹ With the oil, which the cure of the wound requires.

footnotes: ²¹ A. V., With ointment.

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.

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.²² 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.²³

footnotes: ²² It 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. ²³ This 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 is left, etc. The fortified cities of Judah will be taken and only Zion will be left.

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

footnotes: ²⁴ A. V., Cottage.

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

נצורה Ruined²⁵ (comp. 65:4)

footnotes: ²⁵ A. V., Besieged.

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

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.²⁶ the son of Amoz.

footnotes: ²⁶ The author himself sometimes overlooks this important rule; as, for instance, in his remark to ver. 1, sub voce

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.

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).

אילים *Large sheep.*²⁷

footnotes: ²⁷ A. V., Rams.

מריאים A species of cattle, akin to the ox, but larger; its fat is prohibited.²⁸ The Gaon²⁹ compares מריאים fed beasts with מרא to feed (Mishnah Sabbath 24:3).

footnotes: ²⁸ In 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. ²⁹ R. Hai (ibid.)

כבשים The young of the flock.³⁰

footnotes: ³⁰ A. V., Lambs.

עתודים The old of the flock³¹ (comp. Gen. 31:10)

footnotes: ³¹ A. V., He-goats.

לפני═פני Before me; it is not the object of לֵרָאוֹח ‘ to be seen.’³² 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.

footnotes: ³² פעול, object, is the person or thing to which the action is directed; the verb may be active or passive; e.g.,

רמוס To tread. Infinitive.

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

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 stated³³ that the word bears this meaning, New-moon.

footnotes: ³³ I. 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.

קרא מקרא That you proclaim them to be holy convocations.³⁴ Isaiah mentions these festivals, together with the burnt offerings and oblations, because of the additional offering (מוסף) brought on such days.³⁵

footnotes: ³⁴ A. V., The calling of assemblies. Comp. Lev. 23:2. ³⁵ Comp. 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.³⁶ 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.

footnotes: ³⁶ A. V., Even the solemn meeting.

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.

ובפרשכם And when ye spread forth. The Hirik under ר is instead of Segol.³⁷

footnotes: ³⁷ The 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.

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. Wash your hands of the blood they have shed.

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)

להיטב═היטב To do well. It is infinitive.

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

footnotes: ³⁸ A. V., Relieve.

חמוץ Cruel.³⁹ 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).⁴⁰

footnotes: ³⁹ A. V., The oppressed. ⁴⁰ The 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 דיין 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.)

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).

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).

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

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

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.⁴¹

footnotes: ⁴¹ The 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.)

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

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.

מלאתי Full of. The י is paragogic as in גנבתי the theft of (Gen. 31:39.)⁴²

footnotes: ⁴² The construct state of גנבה ,מלאה is regularly גנבַת מלאַת.

ילין Was lodging. The future is here used for the imperfect,⁴³ which has no special form in Hebrew.

footnotes: ⁴³ זמן 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.

מרצחים Murderers. Literally, they that cause to murder. It is participle Piel, and has a causative meaning, referring to the judges.¹

footnotes: ¹ Bad judges cause to murder, by ordering the execution of innocent persons.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

נאום The word of. A noun (comp. Jer. 23:31). To use נֻם instead of נאום is a blunder,⁴⁴ נעל ים). for א cannot be omitted.

footnotes: ⁴⁴ This 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

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

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.⁴⁵

footnotes: ⁴⁵ Read 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.⁴⁶ Woe unto them when I shall do the following thing.

footnotes: ⁴⁶ See note 12.

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

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

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

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

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 .⁴⁷ 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)

footnotes: ⁴⁷ I. E. mentions in his Moznaim, sub voce

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.⁴⁸

footnotes: ⁴⁸ This fact is mentioned neither in the book of Kings nor in the Chronicles.

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

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

And her returning people.⁴⁹ The people that will repent. Supply יפדו will be redeemed.

footnotes: ⁴⁹ A. V., And her converts.

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

footnotes: ⁵⁰ Comp. ver. 2.

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

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.⁵¹

footnotes: ⁵¹ This remark is made because of אילים being likewise the plural of איל ‘ram.’

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.

ותחפרו And ye shall be confounded

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.

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. ⁵² 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.⁵³

footnotes: ⁵² The confession or וִדּוּי is a portion of the divine service for the Day of Atonement (10th of Tishri). ⁵³ See note 51.

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

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

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.